Because of You
by Kayla2
Summary: This twelve-part story takes place in July 2002. As on the show at this time, Alexis is about two and a half months pregnant with Sonny’s baby. Jason discovers Alexis is pregnant, but instead of going straight to Sonny with the info, there is a twist.
1. Chapter 1

Because of You

_This is a JasLexis fic with Sexis triangle implications. I was inspired by the songs on the Album the Year of the Gentleman by Ne-Yo; however, this is not a song fic. (BTW, the whole Ned is the father story has not happened and is not going to happen.) I hope you enjoy and as always, replies are greatly appreciated. _

_FYI-The bolded dialogue is actually from the July 2002 JasLexis scene from which the story is based._

**Chapter 1 – Part of the List**

Alexis's mind raced a thousand miles a minute. She, Alexis Davis, had just heard her baby's heartbeat for the first time. Alexis Davis, who never thought she'd be a mother, was now slightly more than six months away from giving birth to her best friend's child. The same best friend who told her things wouldn't change between them if they gave into their desire. The same best friend who'd just reconciled with his ex-wife.

Touching her still-flat stomach, she spoke, "Well, little one, how am I going to tell your daddy about you? Should I even tell him? He's a dangerous man, but he's a decent man and you're all he's ever wanted."

_Alexis closed her eyes. In her mind, she pictured Sonny and her on his sofa. In her head, she speaks the words, "Sonny, I'm pregnant." In response, a tear falls from his deep, dark brown eyes with the endless lashes. _

"_Are you sure?" his voice gravels_

_Her reply is a nod. Sweeping her in his arms, he whispers that everything will be alright; just like he did the night they made love. Her vision is so real, she feels the soft kisses he places on her face; she can even smell his cologne. After a moment, she pulls back from his embrace. "What about Carly?"_

"_It's over. She's already gone. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get you out of my system and she got tired of it and left."_

"_What are you saying, Sonny?"_

"_I'm saying I'm in love with you and I want the three of us to be a family."_

Alexis shook her head. "That's just a dream little one. In fact, given your papa's line of work, it's a dream I'm sure I don't actually want to see come true. I would like us to be close enough for you to know whether you have his sense of humor or my temperament."

In her mind, she continued to make a list of Sonny's attributes: the qualities she hoped their child inherited and those she prayed their baby did not. Dimples and charm topped the list; temper and stubbornness landed near the bottom.

A knock on the door interrupted Alexis's thoughts. A pair of large men, holding a random piece of her furniture, stood on the other side. She tried to remain calm, until she heard the first vase break. With great futility she moved toward the sound of the crash. Seeing that her efforts were fruitless, she simply screamed to the first large man in her path. **"You know, maybe if you can just -- you know, you can actually just drop it anywhere, it's ok. I didn't really mean that literally."**

To her surprise, she looked up and saw Sonny's right hand man, Jason Morgan. Even with all that transpired between her and Sonny, seeing Jason, with his pleasant face and spiky blonde hair typically brought a smile to her face. Though today, he'd seemed to materialize out of nowhere. **"Um…Jason."**

Always the master of understatement, Jason simply responded, **"Hi."**

"**How did you get in?" **

"**The door." **

Alexis called out to the movers that stood in the immediate vicinity, **"Did any of you guys see him come in?" **

The first mover, a stocky man with no neck, called out, **"No, I didn't see him." **

A second man, who was clearly aware of Jason's reputation as Sonny's enforcer called out, **"Neither did I, ma'am."**

Alexis responded, more to herself than to anyone in the room, **"Great. I have nervous movers."** She turned to Jason, **"What are you doing here? Did I forget something at the penthouse?"**

"**I need a lawyer."** Jason thought of Alexis as the best attorney around. She first represented him two years before when Carly turned on him during their fight to keep Michael. With no biological rights to speak of she'd nearly won him shared custody.

"**I -- I don't work for Sonny any longer."** Now, she understood Michael Corleone's cry about trying to get out of the business but continually being sucked back in.

Jason knew things had been tense between Sonny and Alexis since a short time before he returned. It became more apparent when she voluntarily moved from the Penthouse across the hall from Sonny to this condominium across town. Still, he knew she was a professional and he suspected she would help him get the information he needed.

Another crash sounded from the bedroom.

"**I think your movers dropped something. You want me to take care of these guys**?" After all Alexis had done for him in the course of two years, it was the least he could do.

"**No, I don't want you to take care of it. I will. I'll be right back,"** she snapped without really meaning to.

Jason couldn't help smiling. Alexis was not a woman you wanted on your bad side. Suddenly, he was grateful that he was not one of the men who was about to encounter her wrath. He leaned against her table and accidently knocked her purse off of the table. In the process, some papers fell out. Jason could hardly believe his eyes. The papers said Alexis was pregnant and the father was unknown. He hadn't realized he was staring at the papers until Alexis walked in and grabbed the papers from his hands.

"**Uh -- you know what? Why don't you let me handle that?"** She didher best to keep from hyperventilating.

Still dazed, Jason could only mumble, **"Yeah, sure." **

"**Attorney/client privilege and all,"** she continued to cover.

Jason launched into the information he wanted Alexis to find. Reluctantly, she agreed. Still, Jason's mind continued to spin. As he prepared to depart, he turned to look at her. For some reason he never expected Alexis to be a mom. She was so independent and controlled. There seemed to be no room for a baby in her life. "**Alexis, if there's anything Sonny and I can-" **

"**There isn't." **Her heart began to race with the fear that Jason had seen the papers from her appointment with her obstetrician. 

"**Do…" **he started, but he didn't know what to say.

"**I'm moving. I'm settling. I'm giving you back your penthouse," **she cut him off. She couldn't do this; not now and particularly not with Jason. 

"**If you ever want to move back in…" **Though he suspected Sonny had no idea about the baby, he knew Sonny would want to keep his child as close to him as possible.

"Right. Thanks." Alexis nodded and placed a hand at Jason's back. She attempted to usher him out of the door. "I'll get back to you with the information you requested.

Jason continued to stare at her. Inside, he was torn. His first instinct was to head straight to Sonny's penthouse and tell him what he'd learned. Still, it was complicated. Alexis had been extremely good to him in the past and he felt he owed her. He turned to face her. "Look Alexis, I saw the papers: You're pregnant. Is it Sonny's?"

"Jason, you have no idea…this is complicated." One of the things she used to like about Jason was his straight-forwardness. Today, it had lost its charm. "My sister doesn't even know."

"All I know is Sonny would like to know if he is going to be a father. I think he'd take it better from you than from me."

She sighed. It seemed Alexis's days of putting off the inevitable had come to an end. "Give me until the end of the week? Please?"

Jason nodded and moved to the door. Before he left, he touched her arm. "Alexis, if you need anything before you tell Sonny; let me know."

Alexis nodded. The ding of the elevator simultaneously announced Jason's departure and the arrival of her sister, Kristina.

Perpetually nosy, the energetic redhead pushed past Alexis and flopped on the sofa. "So, he was hot. Who was that?"

Alexis sighed, "That was Jason Morgan. My worst nightmare."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - So You Can Cry**

_I know there seems to be a bit of animosity between Jason and Alexis and even her thoughts toward Sonny, but she'll soften. I promise. Hope you enjoy. _

Kristina Cassadine was a free spirit; a little too free sometimes, as Jason was just about to learn. Her face lit up as soon as she saw Jason on the other side of the door. "Hey there, I'm Kristina. You were here yesterday."

"Right." Jason assumed the vibrant redhead was Alexis's long-lost sister. Sonny had mentioned her in passing once. "Is Alexis around?"

"Yes." Kristina took him in, assuming from his demeanor he was an associate of Sonny's. "I am curious, though. What do you want with my sister? I mean, I'm not quite sure the two of you are friends. Particularly not since she referred to you as her worst nightmare."

As the young woman chattered incessantly; Jason remained silent. He attempted to wrap his mind around the idea that Alexis had a sister. The resemblance was clear enough, but neither Sonny nor Alexis ever mentioned that Alexis had a sister when he was in town before. The truth was he couldn't think because her nonstop babbling was giving him a headache.

"Kristina!" He heard Alexis call out from somewhere behind her. "Would you please stop interrogating, Jason?" Then more to herself, she mumbled, "he gets enough of that as it is."

"Fine. I'll just give you and your nightmare some privacy."

Alexis moved to the door, blocking Jason's entrance with her body. She frowned. Jason was just a reminder of what lay ahead: Sonny. "Are you here to hound me about talking to Sonny? Because when we spoke yesterday, I was under the distinct impression that I had a week and not 24 hours."

"I didn't come to harass you." Jason dropped his head. He hadn't meant to upset her with his visit. But when he left, he couldn't get her off of his mind. Alexis was a beautiful, capable woman and he was almost certain she could handle anything. Almost. He remembered how she shied away from holding Michael when she would visit when he was a baby. Sure, she talked to him sweetly, but she never handled him. He wondered if she was scared. "I came to see if you needed anything. You know, for the baby."

"Shh…" Alexis quickly looked over her shoulder. She relaxed when she saw Kristina was engrossed in her yoga video. She would tell Kristina about the baby, soon. She just wasn't ready, yet. "Let's go for a walk."

Alexis walked a few paces in front of Jason until they were out of earshot. Once outside and away from any windows from which Kristina could listen, she spun on her heels and faced him. There was fire in her typically warm brown eyes. "I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but –"

"Look Alexis, if you need help…I owe you: for bailing me out a hundred times in the middle of the night and for helping me fight for Michael." He crossed his arms in front of his body. "Sonny is my friend and he deserves to know about the baby, but I don't want to cause you any trouble."

Alexis began to walk once more across the grounds of the condominium complex. She stopped at an elaborate gym set. She let out a deep sigh, "I moved here because of this. I saw it and I pictured my daughter, with a head full of dark curls, laughing as I pushed her on the swings. But now, every time I close my eyes I see her surrounded by one of her dark-suited "uncles" who carry guns. I see other parents keeping their children away from her."

Jason noticed she was shaking. He moved to touch her shoulder, but she pulled away.

"I see her going to visit her dangerous father and her crazy stepmother and always feeling like an outsider. Despite all the promises I made that I would never make a child live through the same thing I went through; here I am. So, if you've got a way to help out of this then do it. If not, leave me alone." Alexis lowered herself onto the swing.

Jason sat in the swing that was next to hers. "Sonny will love your baby. And Carly --"

"Sonny is a violent, temperamental, egomaniac who has bursts of kindness and random times. And Carly…I won't let Carly within fifteen feet of my child. I swear she is the most manipulative, whiny, self-centered—"

"Alexis," he stopped her mid-sentence. "I understand they hurt you, but—"

"Why would I be hurt?" She crossed her arms in front herself. "No matter how many times Sonny told me he was over Carly or that he trusted me more than anyone, I knew the truth. He still loved his ex-wife. The truth is, I made an irresponsible choice and now I have to deal with it."

Turning his swing toward her, he said softly, "They hurt me, too."

She turned her swing toward his. "And yet, you have this unyielding devotion toward them both. How did you get past it all?"

"I hid in a boxcar. I couldn't pretend to be okay around everyone for awhile."

She smiled sadly, revealing more than she intended, too. "See, that's where we differ; I'm a master at pretending. I don't need to hide." She released a deep breath. "How long did you stay in the boxcar?"

"Until Elizabeth found me and took care of me." As she listened, the sadness in her chocolate brown eyes became almost too much for him to bear. He dropped his head. "If it were safe, I'd show it to you." There was no way he was taking a pregnant woman to the rail yards. "Having her to talk to probably saved my life."

"So, Elizabeth saved you and now you want to save me?"

"I guess." By her raised eyebrow, he could tell she was skeptical. "You've saved my butt more than once."

Alexis rose from her swing. She touched Jason's cheek. Her voice was soft, though her words were not. "Jason, I really do appreciate the offer, but leaning on one ethically-challenged mobster got me into this predicament in the first place. I don't intend to make the same mistake a second time."

Jason watched as she walked away. For the first time in the three years since they'd hurt him, he was furious with Sonny and Carly. Alexis was a decent person. She'd been good to Sonny and all of his employees and Jason was determined he would find a way to make it up to her.

Alexis walked back into her apartment. She was physically exhausted. In six days, her life would change forever. She knew Sonny would hound her about moving back to the Penthouse. She also knew he would want to impose himself in her life; meddling with everything from her nutritional needs to her work schedule. In six days, Carly would go berserk. And because of that she needed backup.

That evening over a spontaneously arranged dinner at Wyndemere, she broke the news to Kristina, Stefan and Nicholas. Kristina was thrilled, Stefan was furious and Nicholas seemed almost confused. Still, each vowed that Alexis would not go .through her pregnancy alone. And each vowed to spoil her child like none other before had been spoiled. For a moment, she felt content.

The next morning, Kristina surprised Alexis in the kitchen with a big hug. "Do you need anything? Can I make you breakfast? When are you going to tell Sonny?" Kristina got lost for a second in her own head. "A baby? This is so awesome."

Alexis felt overwhelmed. The ringing of the doorbell was suddenly a welcome surprise. She excused herself, not at all entirely sure that Kristina even heard her leave the room. On the other side of the door was Johnny, Sonny's trusted bodyguard. In his hand, he held a shoe box. She'd always been fond of Johnny, but still she wasn't thrilled to see him. "Hi Johnny, what can I do for you?"

"Nothing Miss Davis, Jason told me you left this at your Penthouse."

She suspected Jason was mistaken because she'd never owned the sensible shoe brand that was advertised on the side of the box. Still, she thanked Johnny and took the shoebox from him. Once he was gone, she opened the box to find a toy train boxcar and a simple note. "Just in case you need a place to hide."

Kristina walked out of the kitchen and saw Alexis holding the toy boxcar in her hands. "Hey, what do you have there?"

"It's a gift," Alexis smiled to herself, "from a friend." A friend she'd forgotten she had.


	3. Chapter 3

_This chapter has some Sexis, but this is definitely still a JasLexis story. A little background. Sonny still remarried Carly a week or two after she resurfaced. I know the writers changed it later, but this story follows the original plot that Carly knew Alexis was pregnant and tried to bribe her old boss from Manhattan to hire her. And just as on the show, both Sonny and Carly had been arrested or questioned by the police and called on Alexis to help them out. I think Alexis's sudden anger comes from my anger after reading the transcripts of how Alexis was treated during this time. Anyhow, hope you enjoy._

**Chapter 3 – Miss Independent**

Sonny Corinthos was the most powerful man in Port Charles. When he said, "jump," people said, "How high?" Yet, even though he was successful running the organization, he couldn't seem to get his life right. Carly was alive. And she and Michael were back in the Penthouse. He should be happy. Even still, his heart felt permanently afflicted with a dull, sharp pain. Something was missing from his life or rather someone: Alexis.

He'd been so focused on Carly's manipulations and subsequent "death" over the past year that he hadn't realized Alexis had gotten under his skin…until now. Now, every time Carly babbled about something nonsensical, he longed for the deep conversations he used to have over popcorn with Alexis. Every time Carly acquiesced to whatever he wanted, he wished he could argue once more with Alexis. As a result, he and Carly had spent the last month, since her return, at each other's throats.

"Hey," Jason greeted.

"Hey." Sonny turned to face his friend.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," he lied. He had no right to dump his doubts on Jason. After all, Jason would have been with Carly and Michael if it wasn't for him and his selfish desires. "Just got a lot on my mind."

Before Jason could probe further, they heard a soft knock on the door. Though he didn't live there, Jason moved to answer the door. He was surprised when he found Alexis on the other side. She had a determined look that softened as their eyes met.

"Hi Jason, is Sonny in?" Something told her that morning, when she'd awakened, that today was the day that Sonny would learn he was going to be a father. Seeing Jason's steely blue gaze gave her an unspoken confirmation that she'd made the right choice. There would be no interruptions from Carly, Jason would see to that.

"Yeah," he smiled at her and then he stepped aside. She'd surprised him. He wasn't sure why. Maybe he'd expected her to wait until the last minute to tell Sonny. Maybe he was just surprised to see her looking as confident as she had the many times she strolled into the police station to defend him or Sonny.

Once inside, Alexis saw Sonny at the window. He was brooding, something she'd teased him about before. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," he smiled and a certain light returned to his dark eyes.

She used to hope she was the one who'd placed the light there; now, she knew better. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Jason excused himself and stepped outside of the door. As he made his way across the hall, he heard the familiar ding of the elevator. Carly strode out, arms full of shopping bags.

"Hey Jase."

"Hey," he looked toward Penthouse Four. He knew what was taking place and that it shouldn't be interrupted. "Sonny's in a meeting, why don't you come next door and show me what you bought."

Though she thought it was odd that Jason wished to see her packages, Carly never passed up an opportunity to spend time with Jason; and so, she agreed without hesitation.

Back in Penthouse Four, Sonny set two cups of coffee, one decaf at Alexis's request, on the coffee table. They both took several sips before speaking.

He was the first to break the ice. "Alexis, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"What did you want to talk to about?"

"I need you to promise that you will let me say what I have to say and not interrupt." Alexis took a deep breath. In her mid, she engaged in a quick run through of the speech she'd prepared that morning: pregnant…keeping it…no disruption to his life or his marriage, etc.

"Yeah sure, go ahead." Maybe she would tell him that she'd missed him, too. At least, he certainly hoped she would.

She took a deep breath and released what could only be compared to a mild case of verbal diarrhea. "Sonny, a lot of things have happened to us over the last three months. I don't think either us suspected we would be intimate causing your then ex-wife and now current wife to throw her car off of bridge, pretend to be dead and somehow become a female version of Lazarus at her own funeral. If anyone had asked me at the time, I would have told him or her that those events would have been the most unexpected of my life until now…"

As Alexis rambled on, Sonny noticed she was losing oxygen at an increasing rate. He called her name softly, "Alexis?"

"What?" she snapped almost out of breath. "I told you not to interrupt me."

"Breathe." He stroked her dark hair, though he knew he shouldn't. "Whatever you're trying to say; just say it."

"I'm pregnant." She practically held her breath as she waited for Sonny to react. "The baby is yours…and mine," she added, though she suspected he knew the baby's parentage.

"Are you sure?" Sonny smiled broadly.

She nodded.

He took her hand in his and kissed it. Then, he touched her face. He inched his face toward hers until he engaged her in a kiss.

The kiss surprised her. As soon as she had her wits about her, she felt a surprising emotion: anger. She pushed him squarely in his chest. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm trying to show you how I feel."

"How you feel? For months, I have only worried about how you felt. I moved from my Penthouse, I tiptoed around you and Carly not wanting to say or do anything to upset either of you. And what did you do? You asked me to get both you and Carly out of trouble on at least two occasions. Well, guess what: This is not about you! This is about our baby. Wait, let me rephrase that: my baby."

"Alexis, this is my baby, too."

She could feel her blood pressure rising. "Not until it comes out, it's not. Do you understand that I didn't have to tell you about this baby? I could have just disappeared and you would have never known I was pregnant. And now, you think you can just kiss me and I'm going to what?" She paused, growing more outraged by the moment. "What do you think is going to happen? Do you think I'm going to be your mistress?"

"I didn't—"The truth was Sonny hadn't thought about anything. It had just been his first instinct to kiss her. She was giving him a gift he hadn't expected and he was grateful and awed. He couldn't understand her anger, but he had the good sense to fear it. "Look, tell me what you need from me and I'll give it to you."

"I don't _need_ anything from you, Sonny. Not a toy, not a cradle, not a crib, not a phone call, not an insufferable lecture about my eating habits. You needed to know about the baby. And now, I need you to give me the time and the space I need to figure out how I'm going to deal with being pregnant by a mob boss."

She pushed out a breath of air as she moved to the door. Before she reached it, Carly walked through it.

"Alexis, what are you doing here?"

Alexis's first thought was to punch her. Instead, she decided to hit her with something more powerful: the truth. "I'm reneging on our deal. Sonny knows about the baby, but you don't have to worry about me being a problem in your marriage; I'm done with both of you."

Alexis slammed the door behind her. Her hands were shaking. She didn't know where all her anger had come from. All she knew was once it had begun to surface, she couldn't push it back. She had a raging headache and a slight pain in her abdomen. Now, she was beginning to feel dizzy. At the elevator, she propped herself up against the wall with her arm.

Jason was on his way to assess the situation across the hall when he saw Alexis at the elevator. "Alexis, are you okay?"

Though her face gave every indication of pain, she nodded. "I'll be fine. I'm on my way to the doctor."

"I'll get Sonny." He moved toward Penthouse Four. Suddenly, he felt her hand grasp his wrist.

"You do and I'll be gone before either of you can get back out here."

"At least let me drive you to the hospital."

She nodded and Jason helped her to the elevator, which had finally arrived. In the garage he hopped in the driver's seat of her car and she curled herself in the passenger seat. Throughout the drive, he listened to her assure him that she was perfectly capable of driving herself. He would have been convinced if he hadn't seen her pained expression.

At the hospital, he tried to call Sonny while Alexis was in the doctor. He didn't pick up. In his mind, he pictured the chaos that must have been going on between Sonny and Carly at the moment. Before he could try him again, a nurse wheeled Alexis out into the waiting area.

Instinctively, Jason stood. "Alexis, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Apparently, my blood pressure got a little high and I'm supposed to take it easy." She sighed, "Tell me you didn't call Sonny."

"I did, but he didn't answer."

"Jason, I really can't handle dealing with Sonny right now. If I promise to rest and stay calm, can we keep this between us? I think I need a little time in the boxcar."

He understood what she meant. Although, Jason hated keeping secrets from Sonny; he knew Sonny would overwhelm her if he heard one word of a hospital visit. Considering her reaction to her last meeting with Sonny, he decided it might be best to grant her wish. In the car, he was surprised by her silence. He wondered what she was thinking; yet, thought it best not to ask.

She remained silent as he walked her to her front door. In her mind, she heard all of Doctor Meadow's warnings: over 35, high-risk, high-blood pressure, preeclampsia. Knowing Jason was just outside of the examination room had helped. "Jason," her voice quivered more than she intended, "thank you for bringing me to the hospital. I really could have gotten there on my own." Turning her back to him, she stuck her key in the door.

"I know," he touched her shoulder, "but_ I_ would have been worried."

She turned to face him.

He looked down; something about Alexis always made him a little shy. As he raised his eyes to meet her gaze, he immediately saw the residual fear in her eyes. "Alexis, everything is going to be okay."

She nodded. A tear that had teetered on the brim of her eye, finally fell.

Before he could stop himself, he opened his arms and pulled her inside. She held his torso tightly for the brief moment she was in his arms. Just as quickly as she landed in his arms, she disappeared into her apartment. As her door closed, he vowed he would find a way to ensure that everything truly would be okay and if that meant running interference between her and Sonny, that's exactly what he would do.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi all, so sorry about the delay. Anyhow, this chapter was a little long so I broke it into two chapters. Alexis is softening a bit toward Sonny. Sonny's being nice now but we'll see his ruthlessness later. For now, Jason is trying to be a good friend to both. Hope you enjoy. And as always, replies are greatly appreciated._

**Single – Chapter 4a**

One week had passed since Alexis made the announcement that rocked Sonny's world. In one week's time, Carly Corinthos had gone from being the newly resurrected wife to being the outcast. At the very moment Alexis mentioned that Carly had known about Sonny's child and tried to keep him or her a secret, Sonny decided he'd had enough. By the same evening of Alexis's revelation, Carly was tucked safely away in the Port Charles hotel where Sonny imagined she was licking her wounds.

Sonny on the other hand was in a state of euphoria. God had given him another chance to be a father and this time, the baby's mother was a woman for whom he cared deeply. In fact, it was possible he even loved her. Alexis was an amazing woman and upon learning that she was pregnant with his child, he had decided almost instantaneously that she would be his wife.

While it was true Sonny loved Michael as though he were his own flesh and blood, he'd grown tied of Carly's antics. Alexis and this baby were a chance at a fresh start. Alexis's refusal to see him, to accept any of his gifts or to speak to him on the phone, made him ponder the possibility that his fresh start might be harder to obtain than he once suspected. However, Sonny typically got what he wanted and he was confident that when it came to Alexis, he knew all the right buttons to push.

Alexis was now at her wits end. She'd stopped answering the phone because she knew who was on the other end. She'd stayed at home for the last several days for when she'd gone out, Sonny managed to "run" into her. The knocks on the door were typically made by Sonny or a guard delivering a baby gift, Sonny inquiring about her health, or a guard brining her some sort of meal, which admittedly she didn't always turn away. Interestingly enough or so Kristina thought, was that there was one person Alexis didn't turn away: Jason Morgan.

Of course, Kristina could understand the reason why: Jason was handsome and soft-spoken. When Alexis didn't want to talk he left and when she did he stayed. When he'd asked Ned about him, he told her the story of how Jason was his cousin, once a Quartermaine, who was every bit as dangerous as his employer. Even still, Ned believed that Jason, albeit dangerous, was more stable than Sonny. So, it came as no surprise to her when the steely-eyed man appeared at their doorstep on this day.

"Alexis, you have a visitor." Kristina called toward the bedroom.

"Whatever it is, I don't want any." Jason heard Alexis call out before she entered the room.

He smiled. "All I have is news."

She extended her arm as an informal invitation to enter her home. He stepped inside the door, but remained silent and he continued to stand.

"So, is this news good or bad?" She tilted her head to the side and attempted to read him; a foreign language would have been easier to read.

"Both."

"Give me the good." Alexis sighed.

"Sonny's leaving town for a week. So, you can take a break from telling the guards to get lost and returning all of his gifts, except the food." Jason smiled. His face became serious. "Alexis, you know he just wants to be a part of his child's life."

Alexis leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes. "Jason, I know that. I even want him to be…I think. But he won't give me any time or space to figure out how we can make that happen." Her arms moved through the air as she spoke.

Jason's stoic presence was just the opposite of Alexis's animated movements. "A phone conversation might help. Sonny likes to feel like he's in control of things. Every time you push him away from you and the baby, it freaks him out. It just makes him push harder to be a part of your lives."

"Fine, I'll call him." Jason's stare unnerved her. "I will. I promise. So, what's the bad news?"

"Sonny asked me to keep an eye on you while he's gone."

"Hmm, it's not the worst news I've heard, but how do you feel about the demotion?" she asked seriously.

"What demotion?"

"From enforcer to babysitter."

Jason couldn't help smiling. "I think I can handle it, after all it's just for a week." He stood to leave. Sonny and Alexis were both strong-willed, equally unwilling to budge. He reminded her before he left, "Alexis, make the call."

"Fine."

Alexis watched as Jason left her home. Slowly, she dialed the familiar number.

"Alexis?" Sonny's voice conveyed his surprise.

"Hi." She paused as she wondered how she'd gotten to a place where she didn't want to talk to what used to be her best friend. "I just want you to know that I'm not trying to push you out of the baby's life."

Sonny let out an audible breath. "Then why won't you let me come see you or talk to you?"

"Because I'm trying to figure out how I feel about you. I know where you'll fit in the baby's life; I'm just not sure where you'll fit in mine. I'd like it very much if you gave me a little time and space to figure that out."

"How much time?" his annoyance was audible.

"I don't know."

"Fine. I'll back off for now, but I promise you I won't wait forever."

She hung up, annoyed that he still managed to slip an implied threat into there conversation. Then she sat back and smiled. For whatever reason, she'd been granted a reprieve; she would be Sonny-free for a week.

The next day, just before Sonny was due to depart, Jason stopped by to receive a few last minute instructions. He could tell Sonny was still riding a high. Jason was used to his friend's mood swings, both the ups and the downs. He'd learned to take them as they came, without reacting too much to either extreme.

"Hey," Sonny sauntered into the living room of his Penthouse. "You sure you can handle things for the next week?"

Jason shrugged, "I've done it before."

"I know, but now you've got the extra responsibility of looking out for Alexis. You know, Helena got her last November. That can't happen again. You have to keep my child safe while I'm gone." Sonny ran his fingers through his hair. "And trust me, Alexis is going to fight you every step of the way." Or so, Sonny thought.

The day Sonny left, Jason stopped by Alexis's condo. He'd bought a gift, actually several, for the baby. Kristina answered the door and called out, "Alexis, Mr. Doubtfire is here."

Alexis, who was sitting on the sofa, tried to stifle a giggle.

Jason had no idea what either of them seemed to think was so funny. "Mr. Doubtfire?"

"It's a movie that came out a few years back." She noticed the perplexed look on Jason's face. "Nevermind." She noticed what appeared to be a sage-green satchel tied with a beautiful white silk bow. "Is that a present for the baby from Sonny?"

"No, they're from me." He sat beside her on the sofa and watched as Alexis opened the satchel of books. "I figured you could read to the baby about all of the different places in the world."

Alexis thumbed through the books; some were specifically for children and some were not. There were some for Africa, China, Italy, Russia and Greece. She loved to travel and began to flip through the books with increasing excitement. "Have you been to all these places?"

"Most of them." He smiled. It amazed him that Alexis could go from all-business to totally childlike within a moment's notice.

"What was it like to just pick a place and go?" She tapped the cover of one of the books. "I've always wanted to just pick up and go at the spur of the moment. I used to dream about running away from it all when I was growing up in…" She froze as she came to the book on Greece. "Greece." Absentmindedly, she traced the shape of the island on the book. "Do you mind if I don't keep this one? It's just…Greece doesn't hold the most pleasant memories for me." She dropped her head.

When he saw the sadness in her eyes, he touched her hand. "Helena won't get to you as long as I'm around. I promise." She looked at him; gave him a sad smile. Something about her was so vulnerable at that moment. Her large brown eyes that were typically so intense now held water at their brims. He'd allowed his hand to linger too long, but she hadn't moved it. It felt as though they were having an intimate moment. "I should go."

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you later, then." He rose to leave. "There is one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Food. You need to start bringing it when you come." She raised an eyebrow to indicate she meant business. "After all you wouldn't want to tell your boss that you let me starve." Alexis giggled.

"I guess I can do that," he smiled, "Anything else?"

"The pleasure of your company and food, what else could a girl want?"


	5. Chapter 5

_By the way, I'm not making any judgments on smokers in this one, I just saw Jason freaking out about secondhand smoke._

**Single – Chapter 4b**

The next day, Jason brought dinner. The day after that he stopped by with lunch as well. Near the end of the week, he was responsible for supplying Alexis with three meals a day. Alexis had begun to anticipate his visits, which did not go unnoticed by Kristina.

"Jason's been spending a lot of time here lately."

"At Sonny's request." Alexis continued to study the documents for a case she was working on.

"Did Sonny order him to have long talks with you, too?"

Alexis pulled her glasses down on her nose and peered over them at Kristina. "Kristina, I've begun to understand how your mind works. So, please hear me when I tell you now that there is nothing and there will never be anything between Jason and me. He's Sonny's best friend."

"But you're not with Sonny." Kristina pushed Alexis's glasses back on her nose.

"True. But Sonny's issues are Jason's issues, too. And trust me when I tell you I have no desire to get in the middle of them." Alexis touched Kristina's hair and wondered if her baby might inherit his or her grandmother's red hair. "Don't you have anything more that you want to talk about, instead of my boring personal life?"

"I'm singing at Luke's tomorrow night. Headlining." Kristina beamed, hoping her sister would be proud.

"Oh that's too bad." Alexis feigned disappointment.

"It is?"

"Yes, because that means you only have 24 hours to help me find something to wear."

Kristina's eyes widened before she enveloped Alexis in a hug.

Later that evening, when Jason stopped by, Alexis told him that he should wear a suit to dinner the next day. She also told him to be prepared to have a good time. The next morning, Kristina presented her with a black trapeze dress that stopped just above the knees and had a tie neckline that exposed her shoulders. Alexis modeled it, first for Kristina and later in the mirror for herself. She was concerned that it showed too much leg, but she decided to wear it and a pair of stilettos anyway.

When Alexis opened the door, Jason had to take a second breath. She looked amazing…and her legs were spectacular. "Alexis, wow!"

She couldn't help but take in how handsome he was. He wore dark pants and a crisp, light blue shirt that accented his eyes. He'd gone with a fresh haircut instead of gel, which Alexis appreciated, given that she never understand the male propensity to use too much gel.

"So, where are we going?" Jason shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to talk himself out of sneaking peaks at Alexis's legs.

"Luke's. My sister is singing there tonight."

"Oh," he scrunched his face and indicated a bit of disapproval.

"What? I thought you liked Luke's. You used to work there."

He shrugged. "It's fine. It just has a lot of secondhand smoke that I didn't think you'd want to be around."

Just then, Kristina bounced out of the kitchen with Ned in tow. "Everyone ready?"

Alexis sank into the sofa, "I'm not going."

"What?" Kristina whined. "But why not?"

Jason piped up, "Look Alexis, I didn't say you shouldn't go."

"No, you basically said I was a bad mother if I went. I don't want my child's lungs filled with secondhand smoke before they're fully developed."

Kristina saw how upset Alexis was. She insisted she wanted Alexis to stay home. Ned volunteered to stay and keep Alexis company. He certainly didn't want to leave her alone with Jason. While Alexis debated with Ned and Kristina, Jason disappeared into the kitchen. When Ned and Kristina left, a clearly-disappointed Alexis headed toward her bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Jason asked.

"To my room to change."

"Don't change." Jason said, almost too quickly.

"Why not?"

"Because I have a surprise." Within the hour, two neck-less men carried a large flat screen television. They were followed by a geeky looking guy who connected a few cords. When the men left, Jason turned on the TV. Kristina appeared in the center of Luke's stage. "I knew you really wanted to be there tonight and I thought this was the next best thing."

Alexis felt her eyes begin to mist. "Thank you. She looks beautiful."

The two sat on the sofa watching Kristina sing the romantic classics. Alexis sighed wistfully, just before she extended a foot on the coffee table. "It's almost like I'm really there. The only thing that's missing is the dancing."

"You dance?" Jason arched his brow.

"Of course. Cassadine servants were taught to dance; there was no way the bastard princess was going to escape it."

He stood to his feet. "You want to dance?"

"_You_ dance?" Now, it was her turn to play the role of skeptic.

"Yeah, it was one of the first things I learned from Lily and Robin."

She stared at him for a few minutes, as she tried to wrap her mind around the idea that Jason Morgan actually danced. Eventually, she stood and walked with him to the portion of her floor where there furniture was sparse. At first, they danced like two seventh graders at their first dance. There was a lot of distance between them and each of their moves was careful and deliberate. Soon, as their defenses began to wear down, she took a step closer to him and he allowed his hand to move to her lower back. By the second song, Alexis rested her head on Jason's shoulder.

Jason took in the scent of hair and the feel of her warm body against his own. He felt his pulse begin to speed a bit. Alexis, too, was beginning to feel. She felt the sensation of Jason's strong hands against her back. She also felt his rock hard muscles beneath her own hands. As soon as she realized where her thoughts were leading her, she took a step backwards. "Jason, thank you for this, but it's been a long day and…"

"I should go." He knew she was right. He wondered if she'd been reading his thoughts. Thoughts he tried now to push out of head.

As she walked him to the door, she thanked him once more. "Jason, this was perhaps one of the nicest things anyone has done for me. Thank you again."

"No problem."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked, hoping she knew the answer. "For breakfast?"

"French toast from Kelly's." He turned to leave.

Just before he left, she touched his arm. "Goodnight Jason."

"Goodnight."

About 30 minutes later, Alexis heard a knock at the door. Though, she'd never have admitted it, she was thrilled with the idea of Jason coming back. She called through the door as she reached it, "Couldn't wait until tomorrow, huh?"

As the door opened, Sonny stood smiling with a bouquet of roses. "How did you know it was me?"

She did her best to hide her disappointment, "Lucky guess." True enough he looked handsome in his linen suit as he stood in her doorway. However, the last time they spoke, he'd agreed to give her some space; yet, now she suddenly felt crowded. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted you to be the first to congratulate me. I'm a free man."

Alexis's heart sank. She wondered how many times their child would see him arrested. "Was there trouble in Puerto Rico?"

"I wasn't in Puerto Rico--"

"Oh, I just assumed…"

"I wasn't in Puerto Rico and I wasn't in trouble. I was in the Dominican Republic." He took her hand in his own. "Alexis, its official, I'm free. I divorced Carly. Now we can be a family. You, me and the baby." He noticed that she seemed to go pale in the face. "Aren't you going to say something?

She thought for a minute, then added with her nose slightly crinkled. "Yippee."


	6. Chapter 6

_Hi all, a little background on this one. On the show at this time, Zander Smith, Alexis's young friend and Sonny's one-time protégé had been hospitalized because Jason had beaten him on Sonny's orders. Alexis had confronted Sonny about it prior to the time when this story took place. I'm not sure whether on the show, Alexis had found out about Jason's involvement…for the purpose of this story, Alexis had not found out about it until now. Anyhow, it's a little long, but I hope you enjoy it._

Chapter 5 - Nobody

Ever since Sonny dropped the bombshell about his divorcing Carly with the intention of marrying her, Alexis had begun to avoid him again. However, Sonny knew her weakness was good food. So, it was no surprise that when he suggested Dinner at the No Name, to talk about things, she agreed to go.

Now as she stood in front of the mirror and held up two outfits: a simple red dress that was fitted at the bodice and a dark gray suit.

"Wear the dress," Kristina walked into her room and plopped on the bed. "Red screams confidence and signals that you've moved on. Besides, Sonny gets all hot and bothered when you wear a suit."

Alexis shot Kristina a dirty look, threw the suit on the bed and held the dress against her body. The loose flow of the dress would serve to hide her slightly more visible baby bump. Given that she and Sonny would be at the No Name, in the midst of some of his more questionable associates, she thought it best not to draw attention to Sonny's impeding fatherhood.

Kristina stared at Alexis, trying to size her up. The joy that once radiated from within her whenever she was going to be near Sonny was diminished. But it hadn't vanished completely; in fact, Kristina now saw her sister's eyes light up for another man. And because Alexis was so closed off to her own emotions, Kristina felt it was her duty to open her eyes to what was right in front of her face. "So, how does Jason feel about you going on a date with Sonny?"

"It's not a date, if it were I wouldn't go." Alexis threw the dress on the bed, this time covering Kristina's face. "And don't start with the Jason thing again. Jason and I are friends." Alexis fought off the image of Jason holding her in his arms while they danced. "He's been very good to me, which I'm sure he's done partially as a favor to Sonny."

"So, you're not at all attracted to Jason…even after he gave you such a wonderful surprise the other night."

"Nope." Alexis's voice sounded less sure than she had intended.

"Right." Kristina walked up behind Alexis and wrapped her arms around her waist. "You know I love you and I just want you to be happy. I don't think Sonny is the one who can make you happy, but I will support you no matter what."

"I love you, too." Alexis kissed her sister on the cheek. "And if it makes you feel any better, I have no romantic inclinations toward Sonny. That ship sailed when he remarried Carly."

Dinner with Sonny that evening went surprisingly well. They talked about the one thing they could both agree on: how much they were going to love their baby. Because he was smart enough to avoid the subject of marriage, Alexis felt comfortable enough to invite him to her doctor's appointment later in the week.

Although their conversation was easy, almost as easy as it had once been, she could tell he seemed troubled by something. She debated whether she should ask him what was on his mind; after all, they were no longer each other's confidantes. Still, old habits were hard to break and somewhere between dinner and dessert she touched his hand and asked, "So, what is it that you're not telling me?"

He smiled, purposely allowing his dimples to sink into his cheeks. He marveled that she still knew him so well. "There's a new guy in town, Luis Alcazar…dangerous man. Word is he's been making inquiries around town about me, so there might be danger." He sighed, expecting that his next statement would set her off, "So, I can't have you go anywhere without protection."

Alexis felt her heart sink. This was the moment she'd been dreading since the day she learned she was carrying Sonny's child. She was about to be sentenced to a life of dark men with dark suits and guns lurking around every location. "I hate guards. They make me feel like I'm a prisoner."

Reaching across the table, he took her hand in one of his own and stroked it with the other. "I know, Alexis. But it's just until I can get Alcazar under control."

Sonny's guards didn't inspire much confidence in Alexis. Though she was quite fond of Johnny, she'd been kidnapped under his watch less than a year before. And at that, he seemed a bit tougher than Max. Alexis barely blinked, "Who?"

"Jason. He's the only one I trust to take care of you and the baby. Besides, you two get along, right?"

"Yeah," Alexis's voice quivered. She shifted her body in the chair, though Sonny didn't notice. Jason was her friend, but something deep inside her told her that spending more time with Jason wasn't the best idea. "I would have thought Jason was too important for you to waste on another babysitting assignment. Besides, how much danger am I really in? We're not together."

"Alexis, you're pregnant and you haven't been seen with another man for months. Not to mention when my divorce becomes public knowledge, people will begin to put two and two together." He gave her hand a squeeze. "Plus, I hope we can change the part about the two of us not being together, then Jason won't have to watch you; I can do it myself."

Alexis pulled her hand away from his and placed it in her lap. "Jason is fine," Alexis considered protesting more, but if there was a possibility her baby might be in any danger, she would rather be safe than sorry. She remembered she had a full day of court scheduled the next afternoon, "Can't this whole protection thing wait another few days? I have a full court schedule and it might be awkward if Jason shows up dressed in his enforcer wear."

Sonny smiled, although he knew Alexis hated their line of work, she had a better sense of humor about it than most people. "I'll take care of it."

The following morning, Alexis's doorbell rang just minutes before she was ready to fly out of the door. When she opened the door, the sight of Jason in his navy suit accented with a baby blue shirt stopped Alexis in her tracks. For a second, she felt as though the air had been knocked out of her. For some reason, standing there in his suit, he seemed more handsome than she remembered. She wondered if his eyes had gotten bluer since the last time she'd seen him.

"Alexis," he called her name for the third time, since she apparently hadn't heard him the first two times. She stared at him for a minute and when he was confident that she was back from wherever she'd disappeared in her own mind. "Did I surprise you? Sonny told me you knew I would be here."

"Oh, oh right," she stammered. She continued to stare at him until she reminded herself to stop. "I…he…I was under the impression that you weren't going to start right away because of my court schedule, but here you are…completely court-ready."

He stepped inside. "Actually, because anyone knows where they can find you when you're there, you're most vulnerable when you're in court."

"Vulnerable in court?" Alexis chuckled out loud, "has it been that long since you've seen me work." She grabbed her briefcase and headed for the door. "Watch and learn, Mr. Morgan."

After watching her the entire morning, Jason understood why Alexis had chuckled at the thought of her being vulnerable in court. She was amazing. The poor judge, Mark Griffin, was putty in her hands. Somehow, she managed to be both firm and charming with the prosecutor. It was easy to see how she could wrap them around her fingers with her slim skirt that barely skimmed her knees and her four inch high stilettos. He found it hard to concentrate himself.

Alexis neglected to mention that her client was Zander Smith for whom he'd lost no love. Zander had been a thorn in his side since Zander kidnapped his little sister, then fell in love with her. Now, he'd been arrested on unlawful possession of a weapon most probably due to his new association with Luis Alcazar.

Jason approached Alexis just as she finished hugging Zander and making him promise to stay out of trouble. The young man, who seemed to be ready to leave, turned back toward Alexis.

Zander glared at Jason. "You representing him, too?"

"No," Alexis picked up on the animosity between the two. "Jason and I are friends. What's wrong?"

"You might want to pick your friends more carefully." Zander began to walk away from Alexis and she followed. Jason was two steps behind her until she stretched out her hand to indicate he'd be well advised to stay put. While he had her ear, Zander admitted to Alexis that Jason was the one who'd beaten him within an inch of his life. Zander was like the younger brother she'd never had and she loved him dearly. The thought of him suffering nearly made her cry.

She promised Zander she'd get to the bottom of everything ad begged him to steer clear of Sonny and his world. He thanked her for her help and suggested she stay away from Sonny's world as well.

In her car, on the way to her home, Alexis remained silent. In his heart, Jason knew Zander had told her the truth. He wondered what she must be thinking, but he suspected she would let him know. He was right. No sooner than the door closed, she lit into him. "How could you do it, Jason? You beat Zander. He's just a kid." Foolishly, she waited for an answer, one she should have known wasn't coming. She began to pace, "How could you? What kind of monster are you, Jason? You could have killed him."

"I had to do it." Jason couldn't look into her eyes. For the first time, he felt shame about what he'd done to Zander.

"You had to beat the boy your sister once loved within inches of his life? Why Jason? Because Sonny told you to? If he'd told you to kill him would you have done that?" She'd long suspected Sonny was involved in the beating, but somehow she'd thought better of Jason. Her blood began to boil as Jason looked at her with his trademark blank stare. "Where does it end? Would you kill A.J. if Sonny said so, even though he's your brother?" By now, she was screaming, "How about Jax? Skye? Anyone else? Would you kill me, too?"

"Alexis," he said, "you need to calm down. You're supposed to avoid stress."

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down! Just get out!" With her last words she grimaced and reached for her leg.

Immediately, Jason flew to her side, "What is it?"

"Leg cramp," she whimpered. It was the most intense pain she'd felt in ages.

He helped her to the sofa and gently removed her stiletto from her foot. He kneeled on the floor in front of her and he began to massage her leg, gently squeezing the muscle at her calf. He worked with the precision of the surgeon Jason Quartermaine once studied to be…before the accident turned him into Jason Morgan. As he felt the muscles in her leg begin to relax, he began to talk. "I know my sister loved Zander. She still might. That's why I did it. I wanted Zander to be in so much pain that he walked away from Sonny and this life."

Her breathing began to slow to normal as she felt the pain in her leg ease. "How do you keep doing this?" She lifted his chin with her hand as she had done in court, so many years ago. "Why do you keep working for Sonny?"

"Sonny's my family. He's all I have."

"That works for Sonny, but what about you? What does that leave you?" She asked because she sensed he felt trapped. It was the same feeling she'd had since she told Sonny about the baby. Once more, he looked away from her. Once more, she lifted his chin so she could see his eyes. "Jason, what do you want?"

He looked up to see her large brown eyes peering down at him. Where there had been anger, he now saw caring. While one hand remained on her calf, he lifted the other to her face. She was so beautiful and complex. With a single, unplanned motion, his mouth was on hers. At first, his kisses were gentle, almost tentative…until he felt her mouth responding hungrily to his kisses. Never breaking their contact, he lifted his body up until he made it to the sofa. The hand that once caressed her calf moved upward, with a little coaching from her own hand, toward her thigh. As he slipped his tongue over her lips and into her mouth, he heard a slight moan escape her mouth. It was that sound that brought him back to reality. He had to stop. What he wanted, he couldn't have. He thought it best to flee and he backed away. "We can't…"

In a minute, he was up and out of the door. In his wake, he left a very confused Alexis wondering what she had gotten herself into this time.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hi all, just a few things here. Jason and Alexis are two of the most loyal people on the show…even more so in 2002. I say this to explain their actions in this chapter. I promise you this is not a triangle fiction in the true sense of the word, so don't freak out about the end of this chapter…they'll come to their sense, eventually. This story is still all about Jason and Alexis. I hope you enjoy and as always reviews are greatly appreciated._

**Chapter 6 – Mad **

Alexis Davis was mad at the world. She was mad at Zander because he'd left Sonny's employment only to seek out another mobster; a very dangerous one as Sonny said himself. Of course, as she thought about it, there really was no such thing as a safe mobster. She was angry with Sonny for his choices and his influence over the people around him. She was furious with Jason for kissing her the way that he did and then leaving. Mostly, she was angry with herself because for the last two days, she'd been able to think of nothing but the kiss, how it gave her Goosebumps…and how it now made her wonder how Jason might be reacting.

Jason had not come by or been any where in her vicinity since the infamous kiss. She wondered where he'd been hiding himself during the last two days. She was surprised Sonny hadn't insisted that another guard replace him. Still, she was glad to have her freedom back, even if only temporarily. Her hands slid down the stiff denim of her blue jeans before she sighed.

Kristina bounced down the stairs with her typical seemingly endless supply of energy. She tossed her long, red hair over her shoulder just before she plopped on the sofa next to Alexis. In her mind, there was no sight more beautiful than her pregnant sister's glowing face. In an instant her hand was on Alexis's barely visible belly. "Hello, my beautiful niece or nephew." Her hand moved from Alexis's belly to her hair. "And how is my gorgeous big sister?"

Alexis managed to grunt something akin to "fine."

Although Jason was supposed to be guarding Alexis, Kristina realized his presence had been noticeably absent over the last couple of days. "Where's Jason? I haven't seen him in awhile."

"How am I supposed to know? Am I Jason's keeper?" Alexis snapped. She took a deep breath, "if you're so concerned about Jason's whereabouts, why don't you call Sonny."

"It was just a question." Kristina eyed her curiously. "Did something happen between you two?"

"Why do you assume something happened?" Alexis flung her hands in the air before she hopped up and paced. "Maybe Jason had people to whack or books to fix. Just because he's not here, you can't assume he's avoiding me."

Alexis's tirade was all Kristina needed. She leaned forward like a cat on its haunches. "Why would Jason avoid you?" Kristina couldn't help but pounce on an opportunity to tease her too-serious sister. "Are you two having some hot affair?"

Alexis's face flushed as red as a tomato. "Of course not, it was just a kiss."

With eyes as wide as saucers, Kristina exclaimed, "You kissed Jason? Honestly, I was just teasing. This is too good. Spill."

Alexis's hand flew over her mouth the second she realized what slipped out. "Um, I forgot I have a meeting with a client. Don't wait up for me."

"You're meeting with a client in blue jeans and a t-shirt?" Kristina yelled out as Alexis slipped through the door.

Once in the safety of the warm summer air, Alexis attempted to figure out what she should do for the next several hours. Figuring Mike was good for a specially prepared meal, since Sonny had told him she was pregnant a few weeks before, she decided to head to Kelly's.

At Kelly's, Mike greeted her warmly. He immediately insisted she sit then proceeded to fuss over her. Soon, he presented her with the best corned beef sandwich she'd ever had. After deciding he'd join her for lunch, he plopped in the seat next to her. "So, Alexis, when are you going to make my son an honest man?"

Alexis chuckled, "Mike, I'm giving birth to your grandchild, not a task force."

The laugh lines around his eyes creased and he soon joined her in a laugh. "Okay, I won't push. It's just…Michael is so excited about this baby and the idea of being a family. I haven't seen him this happy in years."

Inwardly, she rolled her eyes. Once again, everyone was concerned about Sonny's happiness. What about what she wanted, which at this point was not to be married to anyone, especially not Sonny. Mike meant well, though. Due in large part to the amazing corned beef sandwich that had crossed her lips a moment before, Alexis decided she could at least be gracious. "Mike, no matter what happens between me and Sonny; I won't stop him from being a father to this baby. And as this baby's sole living grandparent, I hope you are prepared to do some extra spoiling."

Grasping her hands, Mike smiled broadly. Choked up, his words barely registered at a whisper, "Thank you for that, Alexis."

Later, her stomach feeling stuffed to the gills from a mixture of Mike's cooking and baby Davis-Corinthos's growing demands for more space, Alexis decided to go for an early evening walk on the docks. She closed her eyes and thought once again of the way Jason kissed her. Though she would never share the details with Kristina, just thinking of the kiss had caused Goosebumps to return. "Stop it," she fussed at herself.

"Excuse me?" was the reply from an unexpected male voice, which belonged to a tall, very handsome man. His dark eyes peered at her with an intensity typically not found in law-abiding citizens.

"I was talking to myself, actually," she responded quietly. Though perfectly groomed and with seemingly impeccable manners, something about the man unnerved Alexis.

"We haven't met. I'm Luis Alcazar." He offered an extended hand.

So, this was the infamous Luis Alcazar from whom she needed protection. And yet, here she found herself without any of said protection. The polite and least confrontational thing to do would be to shake his hand and offer an introduction as well. "Hello, Mr. Alcazar," she moved her hand to shake his, "I'm…"

"None of your business," Jason's voice cut her off. Her eyes looked beyond the shadow to see Jason with a gun at the man's head. "She's off limits, Alcazar. You see this woman; you walk in the opposite direction. Do you understand?"

"Relax Mr. Morgan, I was just being friendly." Alcazar smiled.

"Don't." Jason clicked the chamber of the gun for emphasis.

Dramatically, Luis raised his hands in the air. He smiled at Alexis then turned and retreated to some place in the distant dark. By this point, Alexis didn't know whether she was thankful that Jason showed up or furious that he'd brandished a weapon in public.

As soon as Alcazar was gone and Jason put his gun away, Alexis grabbed him by the arm and pulled him closer to her. She spoke in a loud whisper, "Are you nuts? What are you thinking waving a gun around in public? Mac or any other police officer in Port Charles could have been walking by. You could have been arrested."

"So." Jason faced her with a blank stare.

She hated when he did the strong and silent type replies with her. "So, you could have been arrested," she snapped.

"It's my job to keep you safe."

"You haven't been worried about that for the last two days." Alexis folded her arms in front of herself. When she realized Jason remained silent, something clicked. "Unbelievable! You've been following me around for the last two days, lurking in the shadows like some kind of stalker?"

"I had to do my job." Jason replied. He tried to answer her without examining her curves that were made more obvious by her fitted jeans and t-shirt.

"So you've mentioned and you certainly are proficient. Jason Morgan, enforcer, babysitter, and stalker…maybe you can get Sonny to put that on a business card for you."

Alexis certainly had a sense of humor, Jason thought to himself. He smiled, which was apparently not the reaction Alexis was expecting. She walked off in a huff.

Jason moved quickly to keep up. "Why are you mad?"

"Mad?" She stopped abruptly. "Why would I be mad, Jason? You kissed me like I hadn't been kissed in a long time, then you run out and disappear for two days without a word. Worse yet, I find out that you haven't really been gone at all…just lurking in the shadows. I thought we were friends. Apparently, I was wrong."

"We are friends." He lowered his eyes. How could he tell her the truth? Their kiss had scared him. In that moment, he'd wanted her. And yet, he'd realized she wasn't his to want. She was the woman his best friend cared for deeply and she was the mother of his best friend's child. "I shouldn't have kissed you and I didn't want you to be uncomfortable having me around."

"Friends talk about things, Jason. They talk and they move on. They don't hide out and avoid each other. They especially don't stalk each other." She shoved her hands in her pocket. "Besides, what's the big deal? It was a kiss. I've been kissed before, you know. You're not even the first mobster I've kissed. See Exhibit A." She pointed to her belly, which was practically nonexistent in her jeans.

"Alexis, I know you've been kissed before." Once more, she brought a smile to his face. He finally got what his friend had seen in the no-nonsense attorney. Yes, she was beautiful and smart, but Sonny tended to prefer women with a flare for drama. But now he understood. Alexis Davis was the kind of woman who got under your skin. He became serious. "I don't want to complicate things between you and Sonny."

Once more, she was on the move, forcing Jason to jog to keep up. "There is no me and Sonny. I'm done. He made his choice and now he has to live with it."

"If you were done with Sonny, you wouldn't still be so mad at him."

"What?"

During the last two days, Jason had decided that he would not take advantage of a pregnant single woman who was alone. And he would not cause Sonny the pain Sonny once caused him. Sonny deserved a chance at a family with Alexis without interference from him or anyone else. "You're staying mad at Sonny so you don't have to deal with how you feel about him."

"That's ridiculous." She was mad at Sonny because he'd turned into a jerk the second the swamp thing arose and walked into her own funeral. Alexis found herself wondering why men were such idiots. She hadn't thought of Sonny with even one quarter of the frequency she'd thought of Jason over the last couple of weeks. A sigh escaped her mouth. Maybe Jason was right. Maybe she'd enjoyed spending time with Jason simply because it kept her mind off Sonny. Her voice softened. "So, are you actually suggesting that I pursue a relationship with Sonny?"

"No, I just think you should stop being mad at him and then decide what you want. You owe that to the baby."

Once more she sighed. "Maybe you're right." She looped her arm in his and they began to walk. "See, friend, this is what friends do…they talk."

Now, Jason stopped abruptly. His eyes danced mischievously. "We have a problem."

"What?" Concern etched across her brow.

"I don't talk." He laughed.

She smacked his arm playfully. "Ooh, Jason Morgan, enforcer, babysitter, stalker and stand up comedian. We're either going to need get you a very large business card or use very small font."

That night, Jason's words weighed heavily on Alexis's mind. Was she being unfair to her baby by staying angry with Sonny? And if she stopped being angry with Sonny would she give into him? She had loved him once. After tossing and turning for nearly two hours, she dialed a familiar number. She knew he'd be awake because he didn't sleep.

Although it was midnight, Sonny answered the phone as alert as if it were early afternoon. "Alexis? Is everything okay with the baby?"

"Yes, fine." She paused to work up the nerve to give him the reason for the call. "I was wondering if you might like to grab a cup of coffee and talk tomorrow?"

"Are you having decaf?" Sonny knew caffeine was not good for the baby. Still, he was elated that she'd called. "You know decaf tea or maybe lemonade is better for the baby."

Alexis rolled her eyes. Somehow he'd managed to annoy her within the first 30 seconds of the phone call. She reminded herself that he was concerned about the baby's health and he was just being Sonny. "Of course…so tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yeah." As Sonny hung up the phone, he found himself feeling very hopeful. Alexis was coming around. At this rate, they'd be married before the baby was born. He walked back to the table where he and Jason had been playing cards. He couldn't hide the smile that had formed ever since he'd received her call.

Jason looked up and noticed Sonny's elation. "Good news?"

"Yeah, Alexis is finally coming around. It won't be too long before we're a family."

Alexis had taken his advice. That should have made Jason happy. So, why was it that all he wanted to do was punch something? Jason forced a smile before he mumbled, "Congratulations."


	8. Chapter 8

_Hi all, I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've been working on it for a while. So, I hope you like it. As a Sexis fan (too), I had to leave in one cute (IMO) Sexis scene. Reviews are greatly appreciated._

**Closer – Chapter 7**

A kiss seemed like the right way to end a perfect day with a loved one. The problem was that as their lips met, Alexis realized that although she loved Sonny Corinthos; she didn't think she was in love with him anymore.

Moments ago, they'd been bantering about names for the baby, which they'd learned at the ultrasound earlier that day was a boy. She suggested Corbin, after his father, who'd been so excited about his impending grandfatherhood that he was responsible for at least six of the ten pounds she'd gained since her last doctor's appointment. However, Sonny vetoed the idea almost immediately. Instead, he favored either Jason or Morgan. He even went so far as to remind her that both her deceased best friend, Chole and his best friend Jason were Morgans. She quickly dismissed his idea as she realized there was no way she wanted to think of Jason every time she called her baby's name.

"How about Davis?" Sonny offered. Personally, he wasn't fond of the name, but it was a gesture meant to charm Alexis; he wanted to show her that he respected her as their baby's mother. He also hoped to shake any notion she had of hyphenating their son's name as he was sure she would do with her own once they were married. Although he'd not yet proposed to her officially, he still intended to have her as his wife.

"Davis Davis-Corinthos, sounds goofy." One look at the exasperated expression on his face made her burst into laughter. She'd known exactly why he'd suggested the name Davis and couldn't resist teasing him. Her teasing had turned into both of them laughing, which had led to this moment of the two of them kissing.

As their kissing intensified, he felt encouraged that she hadn't pulled away. Now, he boldly tangled his hands in her hair. In one fluid motion, his mouth moved from her lips to her jawline. Nearing her ear, he whispered, "I want you." In his heart, he felt this was the beginning of a move toward what he wanted: his family living under one roof.

Although his kisses felt good, Alexis didn't want to mislead him. Going to bed with Sonny would imply that she was ready to build a family with him and that was the one thing she was fairly certain she didn't want to do. She placed her hands against his chest and gently pushed him away from her. "Sonny, I just can't…"

He ran his fingers through his dark, curly locks before releasing a loud sigh. "Is this about Carly? Because it's over between us…I'm not going back this time."

"This isn't about Carly." Actually, Carly had become a total nonissue for Alexis. Honestly, she'd nearly forgotten about the woman because she hadn't seen her in a couple weeks. Sonny previously mentioned Carly was taking an extended vacation in Florida, which Alexis hadn't found odd until she realized she'd left without Michael. She touched Sonny's hand gently. "It's about me."

"How long are you going to keep pushing me away? I want us to be a family."

It was her turn to sigh loudly. "Sonny, you can be a father to this baby without the two of us being together." She stood and walked toward the door of his Penthouse. In the process, she turned her back to him.

He followed her. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he asked, "Alexis, is that what you want? Do you want our son to grow up like we did? Do you want him to grow up wondering whether his father loved him for the rest of his life? Don't you want him to have memories of coming home from school and seeing his mom and dad in the same house?"

Not surprisingly, Sonny knew just where she was vulnerable. As the bastard daughter of Mikkos Cassadine, she'd never been particularly certain her father loved her; particularly, since he allowed her to believe she was some sort of impoverished Cassadine cousin. "Of course I want our baby to be loved. It's just…so much has happened since we were together."

"Is there someone else?" He watched as she struggled for the right words.

"No." There wasn't anyone else, at least, not technically. Sure, sometimes she found herself wishing Sonny would just let her be…like Jason did. And true enough, ever since Kristina learned she and Jason once kissed, she'd been insistent that there was more there than just friendship between the two of them. "It's just after everything that happened between us, I'm unsure that we should be pursing a relationship that can ultimately affect our baby." She paused, before she continued on, "What I'm saying is we're still a very long way from where you want us to be."

Sonny ran his fingers through his hair then flashed a dimple-filled smile. "But we had a good day today, right? I mean with the ultrasound and talking about baby names?"

"Yes," she smiled, "it was a good day." She hated it when he was charming because when he was she became sentimental, which was something she couldn't afford to do with Sonny.

"And you didn't exactly pull away from the kiss. So, I guess you didn't mind it too much."

"I'll live." Her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. "I guess."

"So," he began as he moved closer to her, "I guess it wouldn't kill you if I kissed you again." Before she could answer, his mouth was inches away from hers.

Neither heard the opening of the door. Both jumped when they heard Jason speak, "hey." Alexis immediately felt guilty, but she couldn't figure out why. She took a large step backward. Judging by Alexis's reaction, Jason was certain he'd interrupted something. Though he couldn't pinpoint why, he was suddenly irritated.

"I didn't mean to interrupt." He dropped his head as he wondered why seeing Sonny and Alexis in an intimate position irritated him.

"Oh, you didn't interrupt anything. In fact, I was just leaving." Jason's arrival provided the perfect distraction for Alexis to slip out of Sonny's apartment without the threat of Jason or the guards offering her some sort of unwanted protection. Although she was aware that it probably wasn't the best idea to go walking alone, she needed time to think.

As Alexis walked along the docks alone, she listened to the sound of the water. Some people found the docks at night a little creepy, not Alexis. The water had been the only place she found peace when she was girl in Greece. Its soothing sound always helped her think. Not to mention, she'd always been more of a nighttime person than a morning person.

Recognizing that she had less energy than before she was pregnant; she lowered herself to a bench. She closed her eyes and tried to make sense of her life. Sonny was beginning again to behave as the man she once thought he was. And he was right, their baby needed a family. But, she couldn't help wondering how he could turn his heart on and off so quickly. Carly seemed like a distant memory to him; a few weeks before, she was in the same predicament. "Don't be negative," she reminded herself. She closed her eyes and tried to conjure up images of the good day she and Sonny had shared: the ultrasound, the talk of baby names, and the kiss. The only problem was when she tried to imagine the kiss she shared with Sonny, the kiss she'd shared with Jason a few weeks before came to mind.

She opened her eyes and discovered she was completely surrounded by total darkness. As the cool air chilled her further, she decided it was time to head home. After she walked a couple of blocks, she was struck by the eerie feeling that someone was following her. "Don't panic," she reminded herself mentally. As she rounded the corner into her condominium complex, she was certain she heard footsteps. Quickly, she reached into her purse and pulled out a can of pepper spray. With one fluid motion, she began to spray behind her. She continued until she heard a strangled-sounding voice cry out, "Alexis, stop. It's me."

"Jason?"

Between coughs, he managed, "Yeah." He rubbed his eyes, which only made matters worse.

"Why were you following me like some kind of stalker?"

He recalled the way she'd slipped out of Sonny's penthouse. "Because I thought you wanted to be alone…without any guards."

"Well, I wasn't alone, was I?" She looked at Jason and found he was crouched near the ground and breathing more heavily. Now, she began to panic. "We've got to get you to hospital."

"No," he managed between coughs.

"Don't be stupid, Jason," she snapped as she became frustrated by his male pride, "I might have done some damage to your eyes."

"You want to do more to my reputation?" He squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to do anything that might help.

"What are you talking about?" Now frustrated, she slapped her hands on her hips.

He moved to rub his eyes, only to have her pull his hands away. "Think about what I do for a living."

"You're an alleged mob enforcer."

"Yeah, and I just got taken out by a pregnant woman." This time he reached his eyes before she could stop him. "Ahh," he moaned from the pain.

"At least let me help you upstairs." She positioned herself beneath his arm.

"No." He tried to push her away. "The chemicals are bad for the baby."

"Shut-up!" she snapped at him before she pulled him toward her condo. "Come on."

Kristina's eyes widened as she saw Alexis dragging a half-blinded Jason through the front door. "What happened?"

"Pepper spray."

"Okay, nobody panic. You two have to get out of your clothes." She watched as Alexis looked as dazed as the partially-blinded Jason. Truthfully, she wanted to laugh, but she could see the two usually-capable people were in desperate need of help. "Trust me I used to teach self-defense. You've got to get the chemicals away from your skin. Alexis, you go hop in the shower and I'll get Jason some of Ned's clothes I'm sure are around here somewhere." Kristina ran upstairs to look for the supplies she needed to fix Jason's eyes.

No sooner than Alexis departed, Kristina returned carrying a plastic bag, Pepto-Bismol, water, mineral oil, and a spray bottle. After mixing the Pepto and water in the spray bottle, Kristina began to spray Jason's eyes with the mixture.

Jason took a deep sigh as he felt the pain retreat from his eyes. Soon, he was able to focus again. "I'm fine," he whispered. Kristina handed him some of Ned's clothes and the plastic bag for his existing clothes. She then pointed him in the direction of the shower.

About 45 minutes later, Alexis crept downstairs to check on Jason. He sat on the sofa, clad in a t-shirt, that seemed a little too tight, and a pair of sweat pants. His head was buried in his hands and she could tell he had not yet, fully recovered from the effects of the pepper spray. "Jason, I'm so sorry. If I had any idea it was you, I would have never started spraying that stuff. How bad is it?"

"Don't ask." He sighed. "Why were you carrying that stuff? You could have hurt yourself or the baby."

"I didn't want to take any risks with that Alcazar guy running around."

"You think pepper spray is going to stop a guy with a gun?"

She sat on the sofa next to him and mussed the top of his hair. "Well…"

"Well, I obviously wasn't going to hurt."

She touched the skin just beneath his eyes. "Your eyes are so puffy." The tears began to fall as she felt her emotions spin out of control. "I didn't mean to hurt you." Her attempts to pull herself together resulted in her losing it even more. She knew it was the pregnancy, but she couldn't stop herself. "I'm so sorry," she choked through her tears.

"Alexis, it's okay." He wiped the tears from her face but then continued to hold her face in his hands. Though his eyes were sore and swollen, he tried to hold her gaze. "I'm okay." He watched as she nodded; she choked back tears in the process. It was odd to see her this way: emotional and unguarded. He wanted to make it better; he wanted to make her feel better. Before he could think about the right thing to do, his mouth found hers. He hadn't realized he was kissing her until he felt the touch of her lips against his own. The pain he had been feeling quickly dissipated. Soon, all he could feel was exhilaration from the scent of her freshly shampooed hair and the feel of the contour of her body through her silk robe.

She hadn't expected him to kiss her, but she hadn't fought it either. In fact, she'd probably dreamed of him kissing her ten times since he'd kissed her the last time. Now, she found she couldn't think or breathe and she didn't care. Mostly, she didn't want him to stop kissing her.

Typically, very little frightened Jason, but now he found himself afraid to open his eyes and look at Alexis. He was afraid his mind would remind him that she should be off limits to him. He was afraid that the minute he opened his eyes, he would stop feeling more alive than he'd felt in the last three years.

"Jason, have you seen Alexis…" Kristina called out as she headed down the stairs. She arrived near the bottom just in time to see Alexis spring from Jason's embrace.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered before quickly heading upstairs.

Jason scanned the room for his boots. No sooner than he spotted them, he crossed the room to put them on.

Kristina followed him and almost crashed into his back when he stopped. "You're not seriously going to leave right now, are you?" Jason remained silent and so, she continued, "Alexis is upset; you can't just..." She watched as he made his way to the door without a word Kristina followed him to the hallway. "What is it with you and Sonny that makes you enjoy screwing my sister over? I mean, did the two of you have some bet about how far you could get with her?"

"Shut up," he snapped as he was unable to control his anger any longer. "I don't want to hurt Alexis."

"Then why are you playing games with her? One minute you're kissing her and the next you're walking out on her."

Jason slammed his finger against the elevator button. "She's with Sonny."

"If that's true, then what are you trying to prove by kissing her? Did Carly put you up to this? You kiss Alexis and tell Sonny then Carly can waltz back into his arms? Why would you do that? Are you loyal to Carly above all else? Don't you care about my sister at all?"

"I'm in love with your sister," he practically yelled. Hearing his voice say the words his head dared not think jarred him momentarily. The ding of the arriving elevator shook him from his trance. "I need to get out of here," he mumbled more to himself than to Kristina.

As the door closed, Kristina stood wondering what had just happened and what she should do with her new found information. The last time she revealed someone else's feelings she'd been relegated to the doghouse for weeks. But this was different, wasn't it? Whatever the case, she'd decide what to do in the morning.

By the time Jason returned to Harborview Towers, his mind was clear. He was in love with his best friend's woman. If he couldn't keep his distance from her then he'd have to leave Port Charles. Sonny wouldn't be happy about it, but at least he'd survive it. Jason nodded to himself; this was the right thing to do. He'd tell Sonny he was leaving in the morning. And he'd spend the rest of the night convincing himself it was the right thing to do.


	9. Chapter 9

_Hi all this chapter is my little attempt to touch lightly on Sonny's bipolar disorder and how it might affect Alexis (and of course, Jason). I hope I didn't make too much of a mess of it and I hope you enjoy._

**Chapter 8 – Lie To Me**

Sonny Corinthos was having a miserable day. First, Carly served him with notice that she was suing for custody of Michael. Worse yet, she'd hired some hot shot attorney named Lansing to represent her. He remembered his mother had been involved with some goon named Trevor Lansing after Mike left, but before Deke came into the picture. He immediately wondered if this guy was related to Trevor Lansing and was working some hidden agenda. Fortunately, his "accountant," Benny, was the best at finding out all sorts of information; so, he put him on the case.

Next, Jason showed up and announced he wanted to leave and go find himself. Actually, Jason said he was tired of killing. If he were honest with himself, Sonny couldn't fault him. It was an ugly job; Jason just happened to be good at it. Still, it couldn't come at a worse time. Alcazar had been making moves in a way that seemed to indicate that their antagonism was about more than territories; it was personal. However, Sonny couldn't figure out why.

Just as Jason expected Sonny wasn't thrilled with the idea of him leaving; however, he hadn't expected him to be in such a fowl mood. Though Sonny reluctantly agreed to let him go, he asked Jason to stay until the baby was born. He'd argued that Jason was the only one who could truly keep Alexis safe from the likes of Luis Alcazar. In his heart, Jason knew Sonny was right. Jason would give his life to keep her safe; and thus, he agreed to stay on for a while.

As Jason waited by the Penthouse elevators, he was surprised when Alexis exited. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hi." Unable to maintain eye contact with him, she looked down at the ground.

He couldn't let Sonny break the news of his departure. "We need to talk."

"Fine."

Jason placed his hand on her lower back and ushered her into his Penthouse. They sat on the sofa, allowing their knees to touch. Never one to mince words, Jason began, "I'm leaving town."

"What?" Alexis could have sworn she heard her heart shatter. "Why?"

"Because I can't keep doing this."

"Doing what? Protecting me?" She knew what he meant; their attraction to one another was undeniable. Still, she thought she'd lighten the situation with a little humor. "I swear I've gotten rid of the pepper spray."

Jason smiled a half-smile. "See, that's what I mean. Right now all I want to do is kiss you, but I can't because you're with Sonny."

"I'm not with Sonny." She sighed. "I was on my way to tell him that I don't want to pursue a romantic relationship with him." Although she waited for a reaction from Jason, none came. "Look even if I wanted to be with Sonny, that's no reason for you to leave Port Charles and all the people you care about. I'm sure Sonny could have Johnny or Max look out for me."

Jason touched her hair. "Don't you get it, Alexis? If I know you're close then I'll want to be with you."

"Then stay," her eyes and her voice pleaded with him, "Be with me." When he remained silent, she reverted to lawyer mode. "It doesn't matter whether you stay or go. I'm calling things off with Sonny." She arose and moved swiftly toward the door.

Jason remembered Sonny's mood. "Do you have to do that now? Sonny's not in the best mood."

Alexis moved toward the door. "I am so damn tired of everyone worrying about Sonny and his feelings. I'm not going to pretend that Sonny and I have a future together just to keep him happy." She allowed the door to slam behind her.

Alexis could tell Sonny wasn't happy the moment she walked in the door. Still, she knew from the kiss she shared with Jason the night before that she'd never be able to be with Sonny the way they'd been before. "Sonny," she called softly.

"Now is not a good time, Alexis." He'd felt his mood shift long before Alexis came in. It had been his desire to keep Alexis from this side of who he was.

"It'll just take a minute." She watched as he nodded. Her speech began with an apology for misleading him. Her apology was followed by an assurance that he would always be a part of the baby's life. Her assurance was met with his rage. Before she knew it, they were both screaming. She was trying to convince him that she had no desire to deprive him of his rights as a father, but she was unable to get through to him. Soon, the pain in her abdomen was as strong as it was the day she first told him about the baby. As she wrapped her hands around her slightly rounded belly, she tried to get him to calm down; however, he seemed to be somewhere else.

"I will never allow you to keep my child from me, Alexis." That was the last thing she remembered him saying or rather screaming.

As soon as Alexis left his penthouse, Jason debated whether he should begin to distance himself from Sonny and Alexis's relationship before he left town. Sooner would certainly be better than later. Still, he found he cared too much to leave her alone with Sonny today; especially, after he'd seen that look in his eyes. He'd arrived at Sonny's Penthouse just in time to hear Sonny's raised voice. Without invitation, he opened the door to find Alexis on the ground with her eyes closed tightly.

"Sonny! Leave her alone. She can't be stressed out. The doctor said it's bad for the baby!"

Jason wasn't sure whether it was the tone of his voice or the reminder of the baby that seemed to settle Sonny down. Whatever it was, Jason took the opportunity to call an ambulance. He convinced Sonny to have a seat then he turned his attention toward Alexis.

"Alexis, it's Jason, I need you to open your eyes." Noticing that she was out cold, he tapped her cheek. "Come on honey, wake up."

Even in Sonny's disoriented state, Jason's use of the word "honey," seemed odd. He also couldn't recall Alexis mentioning a doctor telling her to avoid stress. Still, something kept his feet planted on the ground while he hoped Alexis woke up.

The first thing Alexis remembered seeing was Jason's steely blue eyes and the freckle that rested just below his left eyelid. She could feel his hand encasing hers. Then she was lifted into an ambulance.

At the hospital, Jason felt Sonny's eyes burrowing on him. It came as no surprise when Sonny approached him and asked, "Why did you say the doctor said stress was bad for the baby?"

"I took Alexis to the hospital after her last argument with her. The doctor told her to avoid stress and he mentioned she might have preeclampsia."

Sonny frowned. "Why did you keep this from me, Jason? I had a right to know if my child was at risk." He studied Jason's face and for a moment, he wondered whether there was something going on between Jason and Alexis. "It's not like you to keep secrets."

"It wasn't my secret to tell. Alexis thought you would smother her if you knew and she was convinced that would stress her out more. I could see her point."

Sonny nodded in agreement with Jason's reasoning. He chastised himself for even believing there could be something between Jason and Alexis. True he'd hurt them both, probably more than once, but they would never do that to him. Besides, Jason wasn't Alexis's type. Whether she admitted it or not, she liked Armani-clad men in suits who had the power to affect other men's lives. A foot-soldier would never do for a woman like Alexis.

Dr. Meadows exited Alexis's room and announced to Jason that Alexis would be fine. Sonny became annoyed once more that Jason seemed to have a place in Alexis's life. Sonny considered questioning Jason further, but he stopped himself when Kristina flew into the waiting room.

Jason suggested Sonny go into see Alexis while he waited with Kristina. Sonny seemed a bit more stable than he was earlier and Jason was absolutely certain Sonny would be on his best behavior. Besides there were things he needed to say to both Alexis and Kristina without Sonny present.

As soon as Sonny was out of earshot, Kristina laid into him. "Jason, why are you sending Sonny in to see Alexis when you're the one who's in love with her?"

He took Kristina by the arm. His voice was firm, but soft when he spoke. "Kristina, you have to forget that I said that. You can't tell Alexis or Sonny or anyone else."

"But…"

"Alexis is with Sonny and that's the end of it okay?" He watched as Kristina nodded slowly. And he prayed she would keep her word. "Tell Sonny I'll check in with him later."

"Where are you going?" She called out as Jason left without a reply.

In her hospital room, Sonny sat by Alexis's bedside and watched her heart monitor beep. As her eyes opened and focused on him, he noticed the beeping of the monitor sped up. She whispered his name. He apologized profusely, admitted there was something inside him he couldn't control and he promised her he would seek help…just as soon as everything settled down with Alcazar. Throughout their meeting, Alexis remained mostly silent. When he broke into tears, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He left a short time afterward.

Jason visited Sonny later that evening and he was relieved to find his friend had calmed. He was even more pleased to learn Sonny planned to see a therapist. Jason inquired about Alexis's health and he assured Sonny that Alexis would not use his earlier outburst to keep him away from their child. As a result, Sonny felt guilty about suspecting his friend was romantically involved with Alexis.

About midnight, Jason returned to the hospital and slipped into Alexis's hospital room. Much to his surprise, she was awake. "Hey," he said, softly.

"I wasn't sure if you'd already left town." She looked at the clock on the wall. "How did you get in here?"

"Monica let me in. For once it paid to be a Quartermaine." He moved to her bedside. With his right hand, he stroked her hair. "I'm not leaving town...at least not without you."

She looked up at him; her large brown eyes examined his steely blue eyes. "I don't understand. When Kristina said you left the hospital, I didn't know what to think."

He sat on the side of her bed and took her hand. Soon, their fingers were laced together. "When I saw you on the floor today, I thought I might lose you. I decided right then, that if you were okay, there was no way I was going to be without you. This afternoon, I made arrangements in case I had to take you away."

"You're saying you want to be with me?" Alexis watched in disbelief as Jason nodded. She tried to process what he was saying. "But why would we need to leave?"

"Because if Sonny had any idea we wanted to be together, he would do everything in his power to keep it from happening."

"You don't really think Sonny would hurt us, do you? You're his best friend."

"What you saw this afternoon was just a glimpse of who Sonny can be, most times he doesn't even realize its happening. Things might be okay if he gets the help he promised to get and we give it some time for him to accept that the two of you don't have a future together."

"And if not?"

"If not, you let me take you away from here. Truth is, it would be easier for us to leave town now, but I don't want you to have to give up your family just to be away from Sonny."

Alexis raised her left hand and began to play with a few wisps of Jason's hair. "Assuming he sees the therapist and he accepts that I don't want to be with him…and I don't, by the way; what happens then?"

"Then you can be me…if that's what you want." He lowered his eyes toward their interlaced hands.

"Depends." Alexis bit her lip to keep from smiling. "It depends on whether once we're together, you're going to run away each time you kiss me because if that's what you are planning…" She was surprised when his kiss interrupted her sentence. Through the paper-thin hospital gown, she felt his hands urging her body closer to him. He kissed her slowly, gently and most of all lovingly. As they broke for air, she touched his cheek and whispered, "You're still here."

"I'm still here." He took in her elegant features and her deep chestnut-colored locks. "You know we can't be together like this until we know what we have to do."

"I know." She nodded sadly. "But just for tonight, can you stay here with me until I fall asleep.

"Yeah," he kissed her forehead.

Surprisingly, Jason was the one who fell asleep first. She would wake him before the nurses did their 5 a.m. rounds. Now, she enjoyed the time being near him. She used the time to whisper what she dare not say while he was awake, "I love you, Jason."


	10. Chapter 10

_Hi all. Seriously sorry about the delay with all my stories. Hope you are still interested in this one and if you are thank you so much for hanging in there. Three more chapters left. So if you've hung in this long, maybe you can hold on a little longer. As always, reviews are appreciated._

Stop This World – Chapter - 9

Alexis was amazed at how quickly things changed. After her hospital stay a few weeks before, Sonny began therapy with Dr. Kevin Collins. Kevin helped Stone while he was alive and as a result, Sonny felt comfortable with him. Although he'd only seen Kevin for a short time, Alexis saw the improvement in his overall demeanor. He'd even shared some of the details from his sessions with Kevin with her. As a result, she began to feel as though she was getting her best friend back.

The only thing she couldn't share with her friend was the fact that she was head over heels in love with his best friend. She couldn't explain it; although she and Jason agreed to keep a physical distance between them, their desire for one another intensified instead of lessening. Now, they either remained silent or they argued about inconsequential things, which was something they hadn't done before. Still, she hadn't seen him in two days and she missed him. He'd gone to do something she'd rather not know about and she hadn't asked what or where. Instead, she and Sonny were spending the afternoon together to plan for the baby's arrival.

Sonny's transformation couldn't have come at a better time. At her last appointment, Dr. Meadows had expressed concern about Alexis's pregnancy and she'd threatened to put her on bed rest if she didn't take it easy. Between Jason and Sonny, she couldn't take any easier. Neither of them let her do anything at all

She watched as Sonny descended the stairs carrying three-year old Michael in his arms. As soon as she saw the two together, she knew Jason was right when he convinced her to tell Sonny about the baby. Sonny was a good father. She just hoped and prayed Kevin could help him get his life together enough for him to let her go.

"Hey handsome," she touched Michael's nose.

"Hey yourself." Sonny smiled, before he broke into a full chuckle.

"Cute Corinthos," Alexis deadpanned.

"Wow, more flattery."

"Stop it." Without either of them paying much attention, Sonny handed Michael to her before he left the room. After about a minute or so, it hit her…she was developing maternal instincts. She sat on the sofa and placed the toddler next to her as he no longer fit comfortably on her lap. Michael poked at her belly, which caused her to giggle.

Sonny returned carrying a plate of fruit and cheese. He patted the boy on the head. "Michael, your baby brother is in there."

Alexis squirmed uncomfortably. "Sonny, don't you think it's too soon to tell Michael about the B…A...B…Y?"

"Kids are like adults, they need time to get used to things. Michael needs time to deal with the idea that he's going to be a big brother. And he's only got three months before it happens."

"But what about C...A…R…L…Y? What if she gets back together with AJ or if she wins the c…u…s…t--"

"Alexis, would you stop it with the spelling?" Sonny laughed. "Carly won't be a problem. In your line of work, you should know that faking a death is a criminal offense." He watched as Alexis nodded. "And you should know that when faced with a choice between custody of my son and being in state custody, Carly is always going to look out for Carly."

"So, you're going to…" she placed her hands on Michael's ears before she whispered, "blackmail Carly," she uncovered his ears, "into staying away from him?" She pushed Michael's reddish bangs out of his face. "Is that what you're going to do to me if I step out of line when it comes to our baby?"

Sonny touched her cheek and she quickly moved away from his hand. He frowned as he tried to process why Alexis's mood shifted. "Are you trying to pick a fight with me?" He sighed, "I'll make sure she has visitation. But as for you, you never have to worry about me keeping you away from the baby because you're not reckless. I have no doubt that you'll always do what's best for the baby."

Alexis thought to ask him if he'd always put their baby first, but given his profession she knew her question would only result in an argument. So, she decided to let it drop. Deciding a change in subject was appropriate, Alexis asked, "So, when you invited me over, you said you wanted to talk about the baby's future. What do you want to talk about?"

"Baby names and living arrangements."

Alexis sighed. "Do we have to do this now? I don't want to argue about not moving in here."

"I don't want you to move in here. I want you to move next door." He ran his hands over his face. "I want to ask Jason to consider switching condos with you, so you can be across the hall in case you or the baby needs me. But I knew I should ask you first. "

"You're really not going to pressure me about moving in? And you're actually asking what I think about something first?"

"Yeah, Doc Collins has been telling me that my need to control people often makes me lose them." He proceeded to talk to her about the other things he'd begun to learn in therapy before he switched the topic to baby names.

After listening to the ways Kevin was helping Sonny get his life back and how ultimately he might help her and Jason get their lives back as well, Alexis had an idea. "What do you think about name the baby Collin, after Kevin?"

"Collin Corinthos. I can live with that." Sonny nodded his head.

"Wow! That was too easy."

"Things don't always have to be hard between us." Sonny pushed her hair from her face.

Alexis jumped, not from her Sonny's touch, but from the strong kick coming from inside her belly. "I don't believe the baby believes us because he's kicking like crazy."

"Can I?" He waited for Alexis to nod and he was surprised when she moved his hand to her belly. His heart leapt as he felt the strong kick from his baby boy. He then lifted Michael to his lap and placed his hand on Alexis's belly as they waited for Collin to make his presence known once more.

When Jason walked in, he hadn't expected to see Alexis, Sonny and Michael looking like a family. He couldn't explain it, but something about the scene hurt him deeply. Somehow, he managed to mumble a greeting to Sonny and Alexis. His first instinct was to leave, but he had no idea where he should go. So, he stood with his eyes lowered to the ground until Alexis excused herself and went into the kitchen.

Once Alexis was gone, Jason gave Sonny the latest update on Alcazar, which included the fact that he was now living on a boat in the Port Charles harbor. He'd also been making inquiries about both Sonny and Jasper Jacks. He'd also learned that Luis Alcazar had a twin brother, named Lorenzo and the two of them had been trying to ship drugs into Sonny's territory. As a result, Sonny decided a meeting with Luis was in order and he asked Jason to take Alexis home.

Jason was silent the entire car ride to Alexis's home. As she opened her door, he turned to walk away.

"You're leaving?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Jason shrugged. He felt her hand on his arm when he turned to walk away once more. She pulled him inside of her apartment.

"What's wrong with you?" She pulled him to the sofa.

For a moment, he simply stared back at her hoping she would drop the subject. "Look, I can tell things have changed between you and Sonny. If you want to be with him, then be with him. I'll deal with it."

"What are you talking about?"

Jason sighed. "I saw the three of you: you and Sonny and Michael. You looked like a family. If that's what you want then I don't want to get in the way of it."

"You were in a room with Sonny and me for ten minutes and now you think I want to be a family with him?"

"You are carrying his baby."

"And you were the one that told me I should make peace with him for the baby's sake. Guess what: You were right. I'm pretty confident now that this baby will be born to two parents who are not constantly at each others' throats. Sonny's in therapy and things are better now."

"Now that things are better, are you sure you don't want to give Sonny another chance?"

After staring at Jason for a second or two, Alexis leaned in and allowed her lips to brush his. She stroked his cheek with her hand. "Does that answer your question?" She laughed, mostly to herself. "Jason, I'm not Carly. You don't have to worry. I'm not going to break your heart."

"Do you know how many times a day I want to kiss you?"

Alexis felt herself blushing. She cast her eyes downward before she asked, "How many?"

Lifting her chin so he could look into her chocolate brown orbs, he answered, "About a thousand."

She sighed. "It was your idea for us to avoid being physically intimate with each other because it was too risky."

"I know, but then I see you with Sonny and I hate it."

"So, what are you saying?"

"Maybe I was wrong."

"There's only one way to find out." Alexis inched toward his mouth until she engaged him in a tender kiss.

Neither of them knew how explosive their kiss could be. The fireworks wouldn't come from the emotion they felt from each other; instead the powder keg that was about to be ignited was in the form of one Sonny Corinthos. Unbeknownst to Jason and Alexis, Sonny had decided to postpone the meeting with Alcazar and instead, to spend more time with Alexis. When he noticed her door was slightly ajar, he pushed it open. The sight of Alexis and Jason kissing made him feel as though he'd been punched in the gut. He remained frozen for what felt like an eternity, but what was actually about 30 seconds. Kristina's voice startled him.

"Sonny, what are you doing here? And why are you standing outside of the door?"

"I, uh, wanted to talk to Alexis, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow."

She shrugged. "Okay."

Kristina could not believe what she saw with her own two eyes. Alexis was making out with Jason right in their living room. She cleared her throat, causing them both to jump apart.

Jason simply stared at Kristina while Alexis's voice rose three octaves higher than its normal pitch. "Kristina, we were just…"

"Alexis, I need to talk to you alone."

Jason stared at the young woman. "Kristina, you need to keep quiet about this…"

This time, it was Kristina who had no patience with Jason. "No, what I need is to talk to my sister."

Jason turned to Alexis, "Are you going to be okay?"

Alexis nodded. "I'll be fine."

Jason left without kissing Alexis goodbye and without another word to Kristina. No sooner than the door closed behind him, Alexis began to pace. "I don't want to talk about this with you, Kristina.

"But Alexis…"

"Seriously, not a word."

Kristina put her hands on her hips. "Oh, I've got a word for you. I've got a couple. I ran into Sonny in the hallway. And he was staring into the doorway when I walked up. I'm guessing he saw the two of you doing what I can't talk about."

Alexis sank onto the sofa. "Sonny?" She ran her hands over her face. "Did he say anything?"

"He said he changed his mind about coming in to talk to you."

"Oh no…I've got to go talk to him."

"Do you really think that's a good idea? Maybe you should talk about this with Jason, first. What's going on with you and Jason, anyway?"

Alexis grabbed her coat and headed to Sonny's. In the hallway, she ran into a frowning Johnny.

"Miss Davis, I can't let you in there. The Boss is having a heated discussion with Benny."

"About what?"

Johnny shrugged. It was then that she heard Benny raising his voice, which was something he never did.

"Jason's your right hand. I don't care what you think he did. I can't sit by quietly and let you do this without urging you to think about it."

"Benny, I won't let anyone disrespect me; not Jason and not you!"

The door opened unexpectedly, leaving Sonny and Alexis face to face. Benny wouldn't even look her in the eye as he passed her.

Sonny frowned, "What are you doing here?"

Alexis moved past him until she was safely inside. "We need to talk and it can't wait."


	11. Chapter 11

_Okay, I'm warning you. This one is angsty. And I'm asking you, in advance, to forgive Alexis. Finally, I promise you that with only two chapters left, things will get better soon. Thanks for reading and always replies are appreciated._

Why Does She Stay? – Chapter 10

Anyone who'd seen Alexis Davis in court knew two things about her: 1) she could think on her feet and 2) she was a formidable opponent. The moment she saw the iciness in Sonny's eyes, she knew she'd have to call upon both of her attributes to get her and Jason out of this mess. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Sonny demanded. He eyed her with suspicion.

"We just do." Her mind spun faster than the wheels on a hot rod. Knowing Sonny the way she did, she knew charm would work better than aggression; so, she softened. "This is really embarrassing. After I left here tonight, I kissed Jason. I don't want you to make a big deal out of it, but I thought you should know."

Sonny paced around her in a circle. "And I thought you were going to come here and deny everything."

"What do you mean by everything?"

"I mean you and Jason have been sneaking around for months. You're smart though…to come here and admit part of the truth. I never knew you were a good liar."

"I've never lied to you and you know it. Can you say the same thing to me?" She watched as Sonny dropped his head, which only confirmed what she already knew.

"What I saw was not a simple kiss. I don't know when this thing between you and Jason started, but now the two of you are trying to get me strung out on drugs so Jason can step in and take everything from me. How much are the two of you paying Kevin?" he replied with an unnerving calm.

"How much are we paying Kevin?" Alexis was stunned at the level of Sonny's paranoia. Stefan once told her the same thing as Sonny: that the most effective lies contained the greatest amount of truth. Now was the time to test their theory. She started with the truth. "Sonny, Jason and I love you. You should know that by the number of times we've both put your wants and needs before our own. I kissed Jason. I practically threw myself on him, but of course you knew that. Kristina told me she saw you in the hallway. Then she lied, "What I need you to know is it didn't mean anything."

"You really think I haven't seen the looks between the two of you when you think no one is watching? Did you think I was going to standby and do nothing?"

"What looks?" she tried to deny the obvious. She processed his words. "What exactly are you going to do?"

"Let Jason leave…like he asked to do a few months ago." He knew if he admitted what he'd planned for Jason, Alexis would try to talk him out of it or do worse…keep his son away from him. Besides, the arrangements he'd made ensured that what he had planned for Jason would look like an accident. Still, he couldn't help adding, "Jason betrayed me and you know how I feel about betrayal."

She found his calm to be eerie. Given what she'd heard earlier, Alexis's first instinct was to panic. She'd seen enough of Sonny to know what he was capable of and she'd heard enough to know Jason was in danger. "Sonny, why can't you hear what I'm trying to say to you?!"

"What do I need to hear? I saw everything I needed to know tonight." He paused and looked her over as though she was a prized possession that had been tainted. "I do have one question: Are you sleeping with him?"

"No!" Thankfully, they hadn't slept together; it made her denial easier. She took a deep breath before she lied once more. "After I kissed Jason, I was mortified. He was gracious and promised he would never mention it again in my presence or in yours. Then I found out you were there. I was terrified, not because of what you might do, but because I didn't want to lose you a second time. I'm so sorry I put Jason in the middle of us." A teardrop fell at the same time as she realized that in order to save Jason, she had to give him up. "Sonny, I want to be with you. I want to be a family with you and Collin and Michael."

"So, why did you pull away every time I tried to get close to you?"

"Because losing you hurt worse than anything." _Until now_, her mind reminded her. Tears streamed down her face both for the lies she was now telling her friend and for the truth she'd have to tell Jason. "I didn't want to go through it again." Placing her hand on his cheek, she stroked it gently. She whispered, "I want to be with you." If it meant saving Jason, then she did want to be with him.

Alexis was saying all the things he'd wanted her to say for months and she'd never lied to him; still, he was suspicious. "What about Jason? How is he supposed to work for me if I can't trust him?" He needed some insurance. "If I find out you and Jason are playing some kind of game…there's no way I can keep him on as my right hand. In this business people you can't trust tend to be accident prone."

Alexis sighed. Things were worse than she thought. "Remember what you said today? I'd 'always do what's best for the baby?' Well, I decided what's best for the baby is for us to be a family." Though it practically turned her stomach to kiss this Sonny, the one who was ruthless and smug, she did it anyway. Afterward, she looked into his eyes because she needed him to understand their unspoken deal. "Sonny, please don't do anything that would make me hate you. Because if I ever have to hate you; I will use all of my connections as a Cassadine to disappear where you could never find me or the baby."

Though Sonny wasn't certain what exactly had gone on between Alexis and Jason, he understood exactly what she was agreeing to: Alexis would be with him as long as nothing happened to Jason. He hated the idea that Jason meant so much to her, but he was certain that now that she'd committed to being with him, he could win her heart. He looked at the ground then he looked up. "How far are you willing to go to be a family?"

"What are you asking?"

"After I found out you were pregnant, I asked you to be my wife. Have you changed your mind?"

She hoped to buy herself more time. "Is this really how you want to ask me to marry you?" Her voice quivered with desperation; silently, she prayed he would misinterpret it as joy. In her heart she knew she'd already sealed her own fate. She covered her stall-tactic by joking, "This proposal story will really underwhelm Collin when he gets older."

Sonny began to chuckle. It was an authentic chuckle that signaled she'd convinced him that she had chosen him. Her mind began to wonder whether she could convince herself. After he composed himself, Sonny walked about ten feet to the desk. Pulling the top drawer open, he retrieved a small velvet box…much to Alexis's horror.

Dropping to one knee, he began the speech he'd rehearsed more than once. "Alexis, you are a beautiful, intelligent woman. I know you have your doubts about us, but it's right for us to be a family. So Alexis, will you marry me?"

Alexis felt as though the wind had been knocked out her. She knew better than to try to speak, so she just nodded. So much for buying additional time, she thought.

Scooping her in his arms, Sonny embraced her tightly. "I promise you we'll be happy." He slipped the ring on her finger.

"So, why don't we go celebrate?" She couldn't bear the thought of actually having to give herself to Sonny…at least, not tonight.

"Yeah! I want to show you off to the world."

She felt guilty because he seemed so happy. She excused herself to the restroom. Taking a deep breath, she tried to reassure herself that she had done the right thing. When she returned to the room and overheard Sonny's telephone conversation with Benny, she was certain she had.

"Benny, it was a misunderstanding. That thing I asked you about with Jason, just forget about it. I overreacted. Yeah, I know that's what you tried to tell me." He heard her footsteps coming down the stairs. "We'll talk later."

Alexis was so relieved. She could say goodbye to Jason if it meant keeping him safe. She gave Sonny a tender kiss on his mouth and told him the whole truth for the first time that evening, "I'm going to do everything I can to make this work." She had to…for all of their sakes.

Sonny took Alexis's jewel-adorned hand and led her into the hallway. Much to Alexis's dismay, Sonny insisted on dinner at the Port Charles Grille. She knew why. Sonny and the Quartermaines had battled for years whether it was about ELQ, Michael or whether he was good enough to date Brenda Barrett. In fact, it was Ned who convinced Brenda to wear a wire during a conversation with Sonny. So, she knew Sonny would take great pleasure in rubbing in Ned's face that he'd not only gotten her pregnant, which Ned already knew, but now she was going to be his wife. Because she'd jilted Ned at the alter less than a year earlier, Sonny's victory would be even sweeter.

The one thing that brought Alexis comfort was knowing The Grille was the last place she would see Jason. The evening went exactly as she expected. When they ran into Ned, he was with Jax. Both men questioned her sanity and vowed to discuss the matter with her later. She watched as Sonny kept a slight smile on his face during his entire interaction with the men. Then the unexpected happened. Carly visited her table with her new boy toy, Ric Lansing, and Sonny slapped her with the news that Michael was "getting a new stepmother." To Carly's credit, she did her best to keep it together, but Alexis knew Carly's presence meant it was only a matter of time before Jason found out.

After dinner, Alexis insisted she return home to "share" the good news with Kristina. Sonny honored Alexis's wish and dropped her at her apartment. She entered her door to find a not-too-pleased Kristina waiting for her.

"Alexis, what is going on? Four hours ago, you were making out with Jason. Ten minutes ago, I get a call from Ned saying you are engaged to Sonny. Tell me he got confused."

Alexis held out her hand for Kristina to see her engagement ring. "Aren't you going to congratulate us?" Alexis tried to fake a smile; she wasn't very convincing.

"No, I'm not going to congratulate you because you told me months ago this wasn't what you wanted."

"I changed my mind." She couldn't look Kristina in the eye. "Look, we'll talk more in the morning. I'm too exhausted to deal with this right now." Alexis could still hear Kristina calling her name as she turned and climbed the stairs. She thought she heard her sister say there was something important she needed to know, but at this point, she didn't care to hear it.

No sooner than she closed the door of her bedroom behind herself, she let the tears begin to fall. Climbing on the bed, she buried her face so deeply into her pillow that she felt his gentle touch before she heard his voice. "Alexis?"

"Jason?" her voice quivered. When she turned and saw it was really him, she sat up and soon found herself wrapped in his arms. For some reason, it seemed that being in his embrace made her cry harder. She clung to him desperately as she tried to figure out how to tell him goodbye. She finally released her hold on him, but when she tried to look at him, she dropped her eyes.

With one finger, he lifted her chin. "Alexis, I know." He stroked her hair. "And I know why you agreed to do it." Benny stopped by Jason's penthouse after he left Sonny's, in order to give Jason a heads-up that he needed to leave town. He was still there when Sonny called to say he changed his mind about what he planned. When Carly called ranting and raving about Sonny and Alexis being engaged, he put two and two together.

"You know this has to be goodbye." Alexis cupped his chin with her hand. "I told Sonny I would make my relationship with him work and I meant it."

He stood and began to pace. "I don't want you to do this."

"Even if it means saving your life?" His eyes caught hers and he joined her on the side of her bed. She took his hand in hers. "This was the only thing I could do. I'm too far along to go on the run with you. If you left town without me, I'd wake up every morning wondering if that day would be the one I'd find out you were dead." She felt the water build at the rims of her eyes.

"I'm not going to let you do this," he barely whispered.

"You don't have a choice; it's already done." She fought back the tears. "Now, you just have to let me go."

He continued to speak softly. "How am I supposed to do that? Just a few hours ago, you promised me you weren't going to break my heart and now you want me to give you permission to do it."

"Jason," she pleaded with him to make it easier. She wanted him to stop making her want what she knew she couldn't have. "I think you should go."

Jason nodded, but then surprised her as he moved to kiss her. After a moment, she pulled away. "Jason, I mean it. Whatever was going on between us is over," she sighed once more, "I'm sorry."

"I'm not giving up. I can't." He stood to leave. When he reached the door, he turned to face her. "I love you, Alexis."

When the door closed behind him, she whispered, "I love you, too."


	12. Chapter 12

_Hi all. This is the second to last chapter. It's got some high drama and some very typical soap action. Sonny is softening, which is a good thing, but Jason and Alexis are running out of time to stop the inevitable. I really hope you enjoy it. As always, replies are appreciated._

Fade Into the Background – Chapter 11

Alexis sat at the desk in Sonny's penthouse. It was funny that she still thought of it as Sonny's penthouse, even though she'd lived there for nearly two months. She looked at the date on the calendar: December 30, 2002. Tomorrow, she would be Alexis Davis-Corinthos. The thought of it was enough to make her want to cry. Soon after she agreed to marry Sonny, they decided to wed on New Year's Eve. He wanted to officially start 2003 as a family with her and the baby; she wanted to get Jason out of her head. Now as the time drew nearer, she became more convinced she and Sonny were making a terrible mistake. A tear slid down her cheek as she thought of the upcoming nuptials once more.

As Sonny entered the room, he became irritated when he saw Alexis brooding. He'd figured out weeks ago that he no longer occupied her heart. He was also fairly certain it was Jason who took his place. Sure, she'd tried to give them a chance, but he could tell she was holding back. And though she now shared his home and his bed, it was Jason who had all of her heart.

The truth of the matter was if Sonny could call off the wedding, he would. Kevin had helped him see that controlling people was no way to love them. In fact, it was the quickest way to lose them; he'd learned that over the last two weeks. Sonny also knew he couldn't allow the other families to believe he'd allowed his enforcer to steal his family. It would make him look weak and weakness, in his business, could mean death…not only for him, but for all the people he loved.

Alexis turned to see Sonny standing behind her. Quickly, she pasted a smile on her face. "Hey."

"You don't have to do that."

"Do what?"

"Put on a fake smile and pretend you're happy." He ran his hand across his chin. "I know you're having second thoughts about tomorrow and trust me, if it was safe for us to call it off tomorrow, then I would."

"So, what is it that you want from me?" Alexis sighed. "I don't know how you want me to act."

"I want us to be the way we were before." He shoved both of his hands through his hair before rubbing one against the stubble on his chin once more. "Before everything got all twisted with Carly and Jason."

"Sonny, please don't start with the Jason stuff again. He doesn't guard me anymore. We're never alone. And I promised you that I would do everything in my power to make you and I work and I will. Besides, I don't want to fight with you. I'm eight months pregnant; my feet are swollen; and your son is performing his own version of All That Jazz on my kidneys."

Sonny smiled broadly. "Now that's the Alexis I'm talking about. You know…the one that doesn't try to sugarcoat things. The only way we're going to get through this is if we're honest with each other."

"You think I'm being honest now? Just wait until I have to push our son out of here."

Across town, Jason had been standing by the docks for hours, still trying to figure a way to stop Sonny and Alexis's nuptials. He'd prayed, brainstormed and fantasized about what he should do. Still, with only twenty-four hours left, he was running out of time.

Worse yet, over the last two months, Alexis had made good on her promise to try to make things work with Sonny. She'd asked that Johnny or Max guard her instead of him and she never took his phone calls. The only time he saw her now was when she was with Sonny. And then, the sadness in her eyes nearly broke his heart.

For a time, he thought of whisking Alexis away to some foreign locale, but two things stopped him: her pregnancy and Sonny's enemies. He also knew what the appearance of vulnerability would do to Sonny…and maybe to them all.

He peered into the water, searching for answer when suddenly Zander Smith approached him.

"Jason, where's Sonny. I need to talk to him. I just tried to call him, but there was no answer."

Though Alexis trusted the young man and Sonny had also, Jason didn't trust Zander any farther than he could throw him. "Anything you can say to Sonny, you can say to me."

"I need to get him a message. It's important."

Although Zander had once worked for and idolized Sonny, he now worked for his top rival, which truly meant Zander could not be trusted. "Since when does Alcazar use errand boys to deliver messages?"

"Look Jason, I get that you and I don't get along, but this is important. Alexis and the baby may be in trouble."

"What are you talking about?"

Zander pulled Jason by the arm to a more discreet section of the docks. "Look, I overheard Luis bragging about how he had something that was precious to both Sonny and Jax. He said something about using "her" to get to both of them. I mean it could only be Alexis, right? She was married to Jax and she's about to marry Sonny."

"What else did you hear?"

"That he was going to move "her" to his private yacht tonight. Have you talked to Sonny or Alexis tonight?"

"No, but if Alexis was missing, I'd know. Sonny would call me."

Zander nodded.

By the relieved expression on the boy's face, Jason could tell how much he cared for Alexis. "I'll handle this. But listen to me, Zander, you need to leave town today." If Alcazar suspected the boy betrayed him, Zander would face a lot worse than a beating. "Go to Benny's. He'll handle everything. As of right now, you no longer worker for Alcazar."

As Zander disappeared into the darkness, Jason called Benny with instructions. He also tried to call Sonny and Alexis, but neither picked up. In his heart, he could feel that Alexis was okay. So, instead of heading to the Penthouse, he made his way to Alcazar's yacht. He watched and waited outside of the boat for nearly an hour. When it appeared Alcazar had disappeared for the evening. He climbed aboard. Everything seemed to be normal until he came to a locked door. He picked the lock and soon found himself inside. What he saw shocked him, but he immediately knew he'd found the answer to his prayers.

The next day, Alexis stood in front of the mirror tugging her off-white, maternity wedding suit over her very round belly. Though she knew she had not been anticipating her wedding day, she felt worse than expected. Not to mention that it seemed her little boy had declared full scale war on her kidneys. She tried to focus on the day before with Sonny. It seemed they were moving toward friendship again. They'd spent a quiet evening at home, agreeing not to answer any calls, in an effort to get to know each other again. Maybe that would be enough to build a marriage on. It had worked well enough with Jax…though she doubted Sonny would allow her conjugal visits with Jason as Jax had done with Ned.

"Alexis, you don't have to do this." Kristina stood before Alexis with tears in her eyes. "Stefan is out there and he is ready to get you out of the country…someplace where Sonny can never find you."

"Kristina, Sonny's not forcing me to do this. Can't you just be happy for me?"

"Happy for you? How can I be happy for you? You told me months ago this wasn't what you wanted. I know in my heart you love Jason and he loves you. He told me so himself."

"He told you he loved me?"

"Yes, I can't believe he hasn't told you yet."

"Oh, he told me he loved me; I just can't believe you managed to keep a secret." Alexis thought her remark would bring a smile to Kristina's face; it didn't. "Kristina, I need you to just let it go. The Jason ship has sailed. My future is with Sonny."

"You're unbelievable! What's even more unbelievable is Jason's not here trying to talk you out of marrying Sonny."

After feeling a twinge of pain, Alexis rubbed her stomach. "If it makes you feel any better Jason tried to call me no less than fifteen times last night."

"You didn't take his calls?"

"No, I needed a clear head before I married Sonny." She released a deep breath that made her feel slightly light-headed. "So, what I need you to do is to continue looking beautiful and go out and walk down the aisle."

Kristina left Alexis alone and walked to the side of the church near the candles. Apparently, it had been Sonny's idea to marry at Saint Patrick's. He'd even forced Carly to sign an annulment agreement. Jax had done so just to keep Alexis from being upset. As Kristina approached the candles, she thought about lighting a candle in honor of her mother or asking for some sort of miracle. Before she could do either, she felt a strong hand on her forearm. Soon, she found herself partially hidden behind a round, large, pillar staring at a familiar pair of blue eyes. "Jason?"

"Shh…"

"Thank God you're here." She threw her arms around him in a hug. "So, what are you going to do? Grab Alexis and run?"

"I'm not going to do anything."

"What do you mean you're not going to do anything? You have to."

"He's not going to do anything, but I am." A beautiful woman, who was unfamiliar to Kristina stepped out of shadows.

"I…I don't understand."

Jason spoke in a hushed tone. "Kristina, all I need you to do is walk down the aisle and don't tell anyone you saw me."

Kristina did as she had been instructed. As she stood at the front of the church, she noticed Jason standing next to Sonny. She wondered how he could possibly be acting as Sonny's best man. Worse yet, moments later, Alexis just appeared at the end of the aisle on Stefan's arm and she wasn't running in the opposite direction.

At the end of the aisle, Alexis took a deep breath before she took her first step toward her life as Sonny's wife. She saw Sonny waiting at the end of the aisle. For some reason, she took comfort that he was twisting his hands nervously. At least she wasn't the only one who was nervous about what they were about to do. Seeing Jason shook her for a moment, but after a deep breath she took a second step. Stefan offered once more to free her from Sonny, but she continued to walk without offering a response.

When she arrived at the alter, it was as if she was having an out of body experience as she listened to Sonny say his vows. It seemed even more otherworldly as she heard herself repeat the priest's words. Then as she heard the priest ask if anyone had any objects, she heard a female voice say, "yes."

She and Sonny looked out to the audience and they saw what or rather who they thought was a ghost. Alexis tried to speak, only to find she'd lost her voice. Soon, she heard Sonny whisper, "Brenda…?"

"Sonny, I'm alive. And I'm here. Can't we talk before you do this?"

For a minute, Sonny thought he was dreaming. Brenda was alive and standing not more than fifteen feet in front of him. He took a step toward her, but he was stopped in his tracks by grip Alexis had on his arm. Alexis couldn't still want to marry him after everything. He looked back to see what Alexis was trying to say, but she wasn't speaking. Instead, she was doubled over, grasping her stomach.

"Sonny…the baby." She lowered herself more closely to the ground. "I think something's wrong."


	13. Chapter 13

_So, here's the last "official" chapter. There will be an epilogue, mostly because I thought something should be called "Because of You" in honor of the title of the story. I thank you all so much for reading and for all of the wonderful replies. It is your kindness that keeps me writing._

Back to What You Know - Chapter 12 

In the hallway on the fourth floor of General Hospital, Jason had a terrible feeling that his plan had gone very wrong. Yes, Brenda had disrupted the wedding just as he had asked her to after he found her on Alcazar's boat. And yes, now, Sonny and Alexis could decide against getting married for the sake of the baby without worrying about how it would look to the other mob families. More importantly, Alexis could choose to be with him…if that was what she still wanted. But what if she changed her mind? What if the stress of Brenda's arrival caused something to go wrong with her pregnancy?

"I thought you said, 'nothing could wrong,' Jason. It's been hours." An angry Brenda stood before him with her hands on her hips. Although she was particularly petite, she was forceful when she wanted to be. "If Sonny loses another child because of what we did, I'll never forgive you…or myself."

"All you did was reappear."

"Yes, in the middle of Sonny and Alexis's wedding?"

"Look, Alexis and the baby will be fine." He dropped his head and mumbled, "They have to be."

Kristina had been watching Jason and Brenda a few steps away. Upon hearing them speak about a plan, she approached Brenda and extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Kristina…Alexis's sister. Who are you and why were you plotting against my sister?"

"I'm Brenda Barrett. I was involved with Sonny a long time ago." She tossed her dark brown hair over her shoulder. "Look, I never intended to hurt Alexis. I was under the impression that the wedding needed to be stopped."

"Well…it did." Kristina looked from Brenda to Jason. "I am surprised _you_ couldn't come up with something less dramatic." She noticed the worried expression on Jason's face. "Jason, they'll be fine. Trust me. I have a good feeling about everything."

On the heels of Kristina's words, Sonny exited Alexis's hospital room. Jason froze when he saw the tears in his friend's eyes. Kristina saw them, too and rushed past him into Alexis's room.

For a moment, Sonny couldn't speak. He simply stared at Brenda. Then he asked, "Are you real?"

The tears in Brenda's eyes mirrored Sonny's as she nodded, "Yes."

Jason couldn't help but interrupt their reunion. "Sonny, is Alexis okay?"

Sonny shook his head as he was smacked with the revelation of how deeply his friend cared for his almost wife. He nodded and managed a soft smile.

"And the baby?" Brenda asked softly.

"Follow me." Sonny turned and entered Alexis's hospital room once more. Jason and Brenda followed him obediently.

Once inside the room, Jason saw the most beautiful sight he'd seen in ages. Alexis sat upright in the hospital bed holding a tiny bundle in her arms. Kristina leaned over the right side of the bed and chatted incessantly with the newest little Cassadine-Corinthos. Sonny moved to the bed and took the baby from Alexis's arms. He walked directly to where Jason and Brenda stood.

"Jason, Brenda, I'd like you to meet our son, Collin Stone Davis Corinthos." He lowered the baby for the two to see. Both smiled when they saw the small olive-skinned boy with dark, wide-opened eyes and jet-black hair that stood on end.

"He's gorgeous," Brenda whispered.

"Wow! He's wide awake." Jason marveled. Neither he nor Carly had seen Michael's eyes for a full day after he was born.

"Seems he's got his father's sleepless gene." Sonny was so proud it seemed his chest extended four inches forward.

"Yes. And the two of you can bond during the 3 a.m. feedings." Alexis smiled.

Jason was surprised to hear Alexis speak of her, Sonny and the baby living as a familial unit. Maybe she was planning on staying with him after all. He watched as Sonny took the baby back to Alexis and sat on the left side of the bed. Sonny kissed her hair and whispered how amazing she had been.

Both Brenda and Jason felt like interlopers. Brenda was the first to move. "Sonny, it's been a long day. I think I'm going to head over to see the Quarermaines before it gets too late. They must have so many questions." As she turned to leave, Sonny called out, "Brenda wait; we need to talk." He looked at Alexis, who nodded that he should go.

Kristina mumbled something about calling Stefan and made a hasty exit. Alexis and Jason found themselves alone.

"Do you want me to go?" he asked

"No," she answered without ever taking her eyes off Collin. Jason sat in the chair next to her bed. "So, I have a feeling that you are the reason that Collin's daddy and I are not married."

Jason dropped his head. "I didn't think you wanted to go through with it. I'm sorry if you—"

"You're sorry?" She looked at him intently. "You're sorry?" Finally, she smiled. "How can you be sorry for saving me from making the worst mistake of my life?"

For the first time since Jason entered the hospital room, he breathed a sigh of relief. "I didn't know what to think. You and Sonny seemed close again."

Alexis continued to look at the baby dreamily. "There was no other way for us to be after what just happened. Look at this little angel." She looked into Jason's crystal blue eyes. "Sonny and I getting married would have been a mistake. We both realized that. Now, we can coexist as friends for this little one's sake."

"Are you going to coexist in Sonny's penthouse?"

Alexis nodded.

"Oh."

"Well, I'll be there until it becomes painfully clear to me that Sonny never got over the recently reappeared Brenda Barrett." She gave Jason the once over. "Just how did you manage to conjure up a ghost at my wedding?"

"Long story."

She looked at him and smiled. "Anyway, I expect that I'll be heartbroken about Sonny and Brenda on March 27th."

He stared at her, unsure of what she was saying.

"As a result, I'll move out. And a short time after that I suspect I'll have to start seeing one of Sonny's trusted employees. After all, Sonny won't trust this precious boy around anyone else."

"How do you know Sonny's going to be okay with you moving out and dating someone else?"

"Because we talked about it. We both have a feeling things aren't going to work out between us…especially not now, since Brenda's come home."

Jason felt his pulse quicken at the idea of finally being with Alexis. "So, which one of Sonny's men are you going to date?"

"I was thinking Johnny." She chuckled at the surprised look on Jason's face. "But then, I thought about it. As a Cassadine, nothing but the best will do. So, I guess that means you're stuck with me."

Jason moved closer to the bed and began to stroke her hair.

"Are you hitting on me?"

A bit confused, he frowned.

"After all, I am still currently living in the delusion that Sonny and I are going to live happily ever after."

"Oh." He moved his hand from hair and went to place it in his pocket. Before his hand could reach its destination, Alexis caught it with hers. As he felt the warmth of her hand in his, he felt totally content. "March 27th, huh? I guess I can wait that long."

"I'm glad because you know what happens after that?"

"What?" Suddenly, Jason couldn't wipe an uncharacteristically, goofy smile off his face.

"I get to tell the whole world a secret I've been keeping."

"What's that?"

"That I'm helplessly, madly in love with you, Jason."

"You are?" He grinned.

"Yep."

As they noticed the door handle moving, they slipped their fingers from each other's grasp. Brenda and Sonny entered the room wearing peculiar smiles of their own.

Sonny patted Jason's arm as he moved back toward Alexis's side. As he looked at Jason and the way he was looking at Alexis, he wondered how he could have ever believed marrying Alexis would have ended in anything other than heartache. "So Jason, I was thinking you should go back to guarding Alexis when I'm not around. You okay with that?"

"Yeah, I can handle that."

Kristina entered the room with Stefan and Nicholas and suddenly, the room seemed very crowded. Suddenly, Jason felt like taking a long celebratory ride on his Harley and thinking about the future during the trip. He looked toward Sonny and Alexis. "I'm going to take off."

"Will you be back?" Kristina asked afraid that Jason had planned on giving up the fight for her sister's heart.

He winked an eye at his favorite busybody. "Count on it."


	14. Chapter 14

_Hi all, this is just a tidy wrap up of this story. It's sappier than I think I intended, but I didn't want to put it off any longer. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for the overwhelming response to this story. Take care._

**Epilogue – Because of You**

"Happy Anniversary, Sonny." Alexis embraced him with a gentle hug. She pulled back and took the sight of him in. Five years and the birth of their son had changed him. While it was true he was still in the business, something about him was kinder and gentler than when he was with Carly. Alexis suspected this was also attributable to continuing therapy sessions with Kevin Collins and his marriage to one Brenda Barrett-Corinthos.

Sonny and Brenda still made the headlines of the local papers. The model and the mobster; both gorgeous, they reminded Alexis of a Jackie Collins novel turned television mini-series.

"I should wish you the same." Sonny's voice shook Alexis from her thoughts. Although he had now had the life he'd always wanted, whenever he looked at her, he couldn't help wondering what could have been if he hadn't gone back to Carly after she dove in the lake.

"Now you know very well that my anniversary isn't for another 24 hours."

"Oh that's right." To keep up appearances and for safety's sake, Sonny requested that Alexis and Jason not make any public declarations about their relationship for at least a year after he and Brenda married. And so, in a move that surprised even Sonny, Jason married Alexis one year and one day after Sonny wed Brenda. "Still don't know how he managed to get you down the aisle so fast."

"He may not be much of a talker, but Jason is quite a negotiator." Her words were true. On Sonny and Brenda's first anniversary, he made her an offer she couldn't refuse: Marry him within 24 hours and he'd quit the business. She agreed and he quit. He was now the proud owner of a motorcycle shop that he was considering expanding. Alexis smiled at him before she straightened his tie.

"Hands off my husband, hussy." Brenda giggled before joining Sonny at his side.

"Very funny. You know I don't do pretty boys anymore."

"Yeah, then what do you call him?" Brenda directed her attention in Jason's direction. In a tight pair of blue jeans and a crisp sky blue shirt that accented his eyes, Brenda thought she easily won her argument.

Never one to concede a point, Alexis looked at Jason and winked. "I'd call him the strong silent type, of course."

"She's good." Brenda socked Sonny in the arm. "No wonder she's able to keep you out of trouble."

"What trouble?" Sonny shrugged.

Alexis touched Jason's arm. Even still neither felt particularly comfortable with a public display of affection in front of Sonny.

Sonny raised an eyebrow. He thought it best to keep the conversation moving. "How many stories did Collin squeeze out of you?"

"Only one."

Alexis smiled at her husband. "You were gone quite a while for one story. That means someone else kept you occupied." When Jason didn't reply, she poked a finger at his cheek. "Push over."

"So, where are you two off to tonight?" Brenda directed her question to Jason.

"The usual. And you?"

"Manhattan. We figured this would be our last trip for a while, all things being considered." Brenda pointed at her baby bump, which was barely visible even though she was six months along.

Sonny cleared his throat. "Speaking of Manhattan, we should get going." He turned his attention back to Alexis. "Tell our son that I'll see him tomorrow." In the four years since Collin's birth, Sonny and Alexis made no formal custody agreement. The boy generally lived with Alexis and Sonny came to visit him every day.

"Of course." Alexis watched as Sonny and Brenda exited. No sooner than the door closed, she slipped her arms around Jason's waist. "I thought they'd never leave." She smiled a second before Jason kissed her.

The two were interrupted by the sound of a clearing throat. Jason's sister Emily soon appeared holding the hand of Chloe, an angelic two year-old girl with crystal blue eyes. "Someone is refusing to go to sleep."

"I wan my daddy to read me an utter story before he neebs."

"Okay Princess." Jason scooped the girl in his arms.

"Jason, you're spoiling her." Alexis feigned anger.

"Just wait until you see what I have in store for her mother."

Emily chuckled as she approached Alexis. "You would think the two of you were actually going to be gone longer than an hour. Where do you go so quickly every year?"

"Luke's. My sister serenade's us with the first song we ever danced to. After a champagne toast, we come home kiss our babies goodnight and celebrate the fact that we found each other."

"Wow, sounds really exciting."

"You have no idea." Alexis continued grin.

A half hour later, at Luke's, Jason held Alexis in his arms as Kristina sang. Alexis sighed, "Ah, just like the good old days when you were my bodyguard. Do you miss it?"

"Nope. Now, I get to kiss you without feeling guilty." Though uncharacteristic, Jason and Alexis engaged in a very public display of affection. When they separated there was a twinkle in Jason's eyes. "You know what else we get to do without feeling guilty…"

"Right. Home it is," she giggled.

"Home is where you are." He kissed her once more before they headed into the night air.


End file.
